037. [Text]

[explosivecombat]

I come seeking discussion again today, which to most of you should probably be nothing new; if anything, I ought to apologize for it, but I suspect that will ring about as true as my usual apologies for the subject matter. For what it's worth, the subject is better than it usually is; take that as you will.

I'd like to discuss dreams today; I'm sure those that were here about a year ago know exactly why, but in the end that is neither here nor there, and you don't have to have experienced it to discuss this with me.

I'm sure we're all no strangers to very vivid dreams...? The sort that immerse you so entirely that they almost seem real...surely there are a few qualities here and there that mark them as dreams, but they're disregarded in favor of whatever is actually happening right in front of you. Dreams like that can hardly be said to be different from reality, can they? They invoke feelings within you; they encourage you to continue thinking about them long after you've awakened. You could even say that dreams like that have given you experiences that you might never have had, were you awake – you've gone on adventures and met people and done things that affected you, all while physically being asleep.

Say that there was a way to live like that forever.

Suppose that there's a machine that will put you under, rendering you solidly asleep and allowing you to experience whatever you want. The machine can simulate any pleasurable experience that you choose, instilling all the thoughts and feelings that would come with actually going out and doing those things for yourself in your waking life. There would be no pain or suffering; it would be an experience in pure bliss for as long as you were plugged into the machine.

Again, you could stay that way forever, if you so chose, living out the rest of your life in dreams, and it would be a pleasant experience that's custom-tailored to you. The only tradeoff is that you would be unconscious the entire time; the experience would be entirely in your mind, rather than anything you actually did.

Would you choose to go under and live the rest of your life happy but effectively comatose, or would you prefer to experience life for yourself, entirely awake, with all the imperfections and strife that may come with it?

You can answer me anonymously if you wish, because as usual, your identity doesn't interest me as much as your response does; if you really want to impress me, you'll tell me why you would answer as you did.

Comments

[explosivecombat]

You're the second person today to refer to using something like that as cowardice. May I ask what brings you to that conclusion?

[islandshore]

Because you're escaping reality. You're feeling off to some make-believe world and leaving all your responsibilities behind.

And c'mon. Wouldn't eternal happiness get boring after a while?

[explosivecombat]

I've always wondered why people seem to think that, actually; if you could have anything you want simply by thinking that you would like to have it, logically speaking eternal happiness would only get boring if your imagination is lacking.

[islandshore]

Sure, but I wouldn't be earning it. I don't know. It just doesn't feel right to get everything handed to you on a silver platter. There's no challenge unless you created one, and even that'd just be fabricated.

[explosivecombat]

What devalues the experience for you, if you create challenges? You would effectively be earning your reward, and mentally and emotionally you would have gained the same sort of experience as you would if you'd gone out and done something physically.

What is it about experiencing things in the waking world that makes it more worthwhile for you?

[islandshore]

Because it's real. Because it's unpredictable. If I have complete control over a dream, then there aren't any surprises. Reality can be rough, but it's not all storm clouds and disasters.

And sometimes you need pain to become stronger.