SOMEONE’S P.O.V.

Why do you dream?  Do you know?  Or is it because of a famous Austrian psychologist’s popular theory that you know the answer?


Let’s say Sigmund Freud is right.  Maybe.  Probably.


Although it is scientifically hard to prove his theory or theories, one cannot argue that he created a useful model of the mind.  He separated it into 3 tiers or sections – the conscious mind or ego, the preconscious, and the unconscious mind. Please imagine it as a sectioned pyramid.


Do not worry; this will not turn into a lecture.  But you got to admit, each of those who go to college or university courses are familiar with this.


Going back, isn’t it fascinating that only around 10% of a brain’s capacity is represented by the conscious mind?  Then roughly 50-60% accounts for the subconscious and the rest of the 30-40% goes to the unconscious part.  To get straight to the point, we talk, eat, write, and go on living with other people using that 10% in us.


The relativity to the purpose of dreams as to why that part had to be explained cannot prove much as to facts about the source of dreams.  Except that Freud also believed that dreams are there so one can release the deep, innermost secret desires that we are not allowed to express in real life because of the rules of polite society or most of these things come from our subconscious.  That or our brain is telling something to our conscious self. 


As funny as it sounds most people know about Freudian dream analysis (if you do not, its okay.  I am not greedy so I will share it) – a dream about a train going into a tunnel is a dream about ual . But really now, couldn’t it just be a dream about travelling on a train?


Enough with theories let us move on to simple facts.  Five minutes after a dream ends, most might have forgotten half of its contents.  Later, within ten minutes around 90-95% is unremembered after waking.  Why?


Based on theories by L. Strumpell, dreams are quickly forgotten when you first wake up such as physical sensations or that its intensity is not enough making it easy to forget.  His other and probably the strongest theory would be that humans traditionally learn and remember through two things: association and repetition.  Each dream is unique and mostly vague so with reason alone remembering them could be difficult.  It’s the same as someone saying a foreign phrase or a sentence that you do not get right away, you would ask the person to repeat it so as to remember or understand it.


Do you dream or somehow know now why you dream?


Me?  I dream too while wide awake.

AUTHOR’S P.O.V.

    "It snows and snows, whatever the heavens can let fall, and they let it fall in considerable amounts. It does not stop, there is no beginning and no end. There is no longer any sky, everywhere there is a gray, white snow. There is no longer any air, even that is full of snow. The earth no longer exists, it is also covered in snow and yet more snow."

    Robert Walser (1878-1956), Snow
 

- YEAR 2008 -


There were people inside cuddling up to their warm comforters, jackets or blankets above their layered clothing while gathering around that bright yellow-orange light coming out of that cave of bricks.  Small talks about life or the sipping of tea were some of the usual activities. 


Who would have known at first glance that each of them is a patient with grave problems?  It is not overestimating but it is a problem when something keeps haunting you, preventing you to function as a normal being and no medicine or pill in the world could ever cure it.  That was until they had come to this place of hope.


As busy as they were the empty hall outside was on a standstill.  She was only 14 but looking from afar it seems her shoulders carried the gravest problem among all those who are in that place.  Her eyes were piercing beyond the wooden frame and into the vast endless horizon.  That was her usual every day routine sitting on that device for mobility even though she could walk and then stare blankly. 


Outside when the trees that usually blossom from March to May became bare and the green meadows that used to meet your eyes about to disappear in the cold air the first few white crystals were twirling, dancing and frolicking upon their descent from heaven.  Nature made its own sounds making everything so peaceful.


But that thought was slightly interrupted.  The hall’s hard wood floors made little noises with those metal circles going round and round until it stopped to that girl who relentlessly stared and was probably zoning out.


“I hate that I’m a snowflake, I cannot fly,” a voice mumbled to her as if they just had conversation.  No, it was not her conscience speaking nor does she has a split personality talking.


The pale young girl did not utter a word of response.  Her face remained as expressionless as it were before without even turning a bit for the intruder of her personal space.


“Do you dream in colors or in black and white?”


Again the intruder spoke even when she did not.


“I know you understand English.  If not, I hope you do.”


For the third time, nothing was given to the intruder.


In silence they kept on sitting.  In silence they both kept on staring on the world further than the walls and past the fogging glass.


But silence was cut with a short intermission.  As opposed to the intruder a silent blind person comes into the scene taking small steps in rhythm with his walking stick.  That stick tapped this space here and there to guide him even hitting the two in the process but neither did say anything. 


“Sorry,” smilingly the man gently apologized with his moving head held high.  After that he went on his way down the hall.  Although he did not do anything to attract attention it still made the expressionless young girl watch him walk safely. 


Does that old visually impaired man dream too?


As if the intruder read her thoughts, “Yes they do.”


Unflinching though a bit shocked inside, she remained unmoved and composed yet focused on the old man again.  The other thought of the body language shown as her telling the intruder to go on and explain, “They might have lost their sight before the age of five and usually do not have visual dreams in adulthood, but they still do dream.  Their dreams are just as complex and vivid as those with no visual impairment.  And instead of visual sensations, their dreams typically contain other senses such as sound, touch, taste, hearing and smell.”


After that enthusiastic explanation it made the young pale girl finally turn her head to the intruder. Then her almost dry lips muttered under her breath a single word, “Pabo-yah. . .”



 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Was the terms too difficult to understand? ._. please do tell me...so i can make some changes...thanks!