No idea why this has taken me so long, but that is unimportant. On to the quote! Unfortunately I have completely forgotten the context, but regardless I'd like to share it:
"Wouldn't it be great if we had access to other people's dreams? No no, that would be the worst thing ever, that would be a nightmare."
What struck me about this quote is how much I really wouldn't want to know the thoughts of friends or strangers. The mind is a scary place where thoughts are best understood by those thinking them and even then it can be quite confusing. My internal comments are carefully censored or completely purged before they make it out of my mouth. I assure you that this is done with good reason. Speaking your mind is important, but speaking your entire mind is not always necessary. Nobody can ever truly know your reasoning, your intention, or your anything behind a thought.
This is the same for other people. Whatever they are thinking has a meaning behind it that I can't grasp due to our varying pasts and experiences. As far as I am concerned our minds are separate worlds. Language can links us though. It can be the bridge that connects our minds, but using language waters the message down. The ability to accurately explain myself is limited. The person I am speaking with is left with words that can be interpreted many ways, nothing as complete as the whole thought in my head.
Recently I had a dream that my roommates turned into werewolves and terrorized the city. In the dream I was distressed and the feeling stayed with me when I woke up. It was a silly dream, but it still greatly affected my mood. Imagine the lifetime of dreams you have had or will have. Many are pointless, ridiculous, and mean nothing. Now imagine if others were exposed to them. Those dreams would be looked at as a legitimate opening into your psyche. Silly things to you would be analyzed and pondered about by them. "What is the meaning behind your roommate's transformation? Why werewolves? "
Prichard is right, the realm of other's dreams is not to be shared. Scary things lurk under our skulls. I'd hate to accidently witness the thoughts of someone like Ted Bundy or *gasp* Britney Spears.
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Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou totally get what I was talking about. Our dreams are framed in such a way that is key to only us--and even then we don't get them. If we entered into the dreams of others we wd be lost and terrified because we would be inside another's space--sort of like the Ticket