I really hate it when people scoff at my interesting in lucid dreaming

And I'd even go as far as saying I hate the people who scoff - especially when they don't know a second thing about it. I rarely share my interest in lucidity with people but when I do I expect the same respect as I show their interests. I've had people respond with:

What's the point of doing that?

Why on earth do you want to do that?

It's a waste of time.

It's silly!

Don't do that!

Yet, these people, if you offered them a jet pack to play with, or said they could visit a parallel dimension they'd surely go straight away. Lucid dreaming can provide the same satisfaction you'd get from doing that. And you learn a lot about yourself in the process.

When someone scoffs - ridicules - something without knowing anything about it, it tells you a lot about that person - possibly everything you need to know.

yeah I know how you feel. When I first started having lucid dreams I was all excited about it - hell, I've discovered a new dimension of fun and of existence! When I told people however, they were like "umm, ok" and their eyes glazed over. Without experiencing it it sounds as weird to them as claims of alien abduction or like claims of a new age cult/religion. The best you can do is try to explain that it's nothing supernatural, just brain chemistry, like taking weed without the weed and you can do cool stuff in hallucinations. maybe then they can relate - I personally stopped telling people.

Why are you concerned with what other people think?

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Originally Posted by JDKendall

Why are you concerned with what other people think?

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Because I have to share a world with them.

No offence, but you sound like an evangelist. If they don't want to hear about it, then let it be. Don't get upset just because they don't share the same views about it as you.

I'm not sure what an evangelist is - but I'll be sure to look it up later. I'm not sure you know me well enough to try to label me in such a way and I find the way you have made your point to be discourteous. It's not that they don't want to hear about it - it's a problem to me when people form an opinion quickly when they know next to nothing about it. If they wish to probe further, ask some questions and then form an opinion about it I have no problem with that - even if the opinion is a negative one.

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

And I'd even go as far as saying I hate the people who scoff

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I know I'm coming off rude with this, but you seriously need a wake-up call. You shouldn't HATE someone, simply because they disagree with you. Have you spent the time to ask them why they disagree with your view on Lucid Dreaming?

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

I'm not sure you know me well enough to try to label me in such a way

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Your hypocrisy here is astounding...

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

When someone scoffs - ridicules - something without knowing anything about it, it tells you a lot about that person - possibly everything you need to know.

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I realize you may get frustrated when people jump to conclusions about something you're passionate about, but saying you hate them because of it is really out of line. Oh, and before you go and get offended again, this is simply my OPINION. Sorry if it is contrary to what you expected coming here.

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

I'm not sure what an evangelist is - but I'll be sure to look it up later. I'm not sure you know me well enough to try to label me in such a way and I find the way you have made your point to be discourteous. It's not that they don't want to hear about it - it's a problem to me when people form an opinion quickly when they know next to nothing about it. If they wish to probe further, ask some questions and then form an opinion about it I have no problem with that - even if the opinion is a negative one.

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an evangelist is someone who actively goes around trying to convert people to a religion or world view

I don't think you are one :) It's simply natural that, if you've discovered something wonderful you'd want to share it with people you know like family and friends. A good way would be to point em to the wikipedia page on lucid dreaming - that sort of comforts/impresses people for some reason. However the vast majority simply won't care/see the point/understand/etc - after a while you learn to get used to it and just enjoy your gift.

JDKendall. Agree with your point about hate. "Hate" is a strong word and my choice of words there was bad, a mistake, and doesn't reflect my values.

It would take a lot to make me hate someone and the post was made in anger. Yes, I do find it frustrating - very frustrating. I was airing the frustration.

I am okay with you expressing your opinion.

If I want to be offended by something I will make the decision myself, and someone telling me "and before you go and get offended again" will not make any difference to how I choose to respond.

I think that's cleared up any misunderstandings.

I didnt really read the replys but.... I aso agree. Everyone says thoose exact things to me. Its really upsetting. OR they just dont believe me and basically calls me a liar. That really makes me mad. But after enough nagging i acually got a friend onto this site. Idk know if they will stay but its a step :D

I tend to just stfu and keep LDing to myself, precisely because of the lukewarm receptions it receives in today's society. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. For some reason, trying to talk to someone about dreaming is like trying to talk to them about religion or politics...it just isn't done.

...and that is why you jump on the internet and create an anonymous screen name: so you can talk to other people who share your interests without having to worry about looking like a weirdo. If people are interested in the subject, they have the power of google at their fingertips. They'll learn about it in their own good time.

Hi yuriw

I haven't told many people about my lucid dreaming practice, but it looks like in the past you have yourself experienced some of the frustration I experienced today and have moved on from it. I think I will have the same outlook as you now and, as you say, just enjoy the gift for myself.

On a lighter note, it can also be frustrating in a different way when someone asks some questions about it, you give them some basic information and they manage to LD from the first night!

We live in a world where the average person has become so indoctrinated by the values and beliefs of society that they live in a type of trance.

The fact that the potential for virtual reality has gone unnoticed by the majority of people, and furthermore is actually ridiculed in conversation, is just one example of this.

This is not reason to hate, however - though frustration and disgust are natural reactions when you start to see just how bad the situation really is. You're hating people because they are asleep. Instead try to broaden their horizons in whatever way you can, even if only a little.

After all, we are all asleep. Some just sleep a little deeper than others.

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

When someone scoffs - ridicules - something without knowing anything about it, it tells you a lot about that person - possibly everything you need to know.

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Agreed, close-minded and no sense of curiosity - sort of a lifeless human drone.

I'm on good enough terms that I can tell friends about LDing and it doesn't make me weird, they either say, "Sounds fun but I got no time D:," "I'll look it up and maybe check it out," or "Gimme more info dude that sounds awesome."


Of course, I only tell close friends...

I don't mind if people aren't interested, though, it's up to them and I'm doing it anyways... if someone else is interested then I'm interested in mentoring them and helping them learn, but if they're not interested then I don't mind because it doesn't hold me back at all in my own pursuits.

I always love talking to people about their dreams. I also enjoy reading the journals on this site.

The lucid stuff I keep to myself though.

Ya I hate that too. I have known people that were very interested in dreams (constantly talk about what they dreamt the previous night) and loved doing fun things, but either didn't seem interested in lucid dreaming or told me it was a waste of my time. Who are they to tell me how to spend my time? It is just the time I would normally spend sleeping, I never knew this time was so precious that I had to try hard not to waste it. And ever since inception, I'll bring up lucid dreaming, they will ask me if you can go into other people's dreams, I'll say no, they will instantly lose interest. What isn't exiting about lucid dreaming? It is a world where you can do whatever you want and control everything (depending on your degree of awareness) and I think that is really cool.

I guess some people just naturally have certain interest, and some don't. The people who truly love lucid dreaming are the ones who took the time to read about it themselves. I haven't heard of anyone being "converted" because a friend told them about it.

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Originally Posted by Elucive

I guess some people just naturally have certain interest, and some don't. The people who truly love lucid dreaming are the ones who took the time to read about it themselves. I haven't heard of anyone being "converted" because a friend told them about it.

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That said, I wish someone had twisted my arm when I was a teen and said, "You've got to get into lucid dreaming!" All those years wasted without lucid dreams!

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I guess some people just naturally have certain interest, and some don't. The people who truly love lucid dreaming are the ones who took the time to read about it themselves. I haven't heard of anyone being "converted" because a friend told them about it.

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Now you have. A friend of mine pretty much told me about it, about this site and such.

If someone is not interested in lucid dreaming, the they are not. Though I can't understand how anyone can say it's a waste of time or that they don't have time for it. Everyone sleeps, and everyone dreams lucid dreams while they sleep, so time is not the problem.

Someone saying LDs don't exist and it's impossible to control your dreams is something completely different and ridiculous. Lucid dreams are a scienfitic fact (see LaBerge) and questioning their existence is the same as questioning mathematical equations.

And someone saying lucid dreaming is not morally right is yet another different thing. I think lucid dreaming is perfectly safe, though there are some things I am not going to do, murdering completely innocent people for example (by innocent I mean people I dream innocent, as even though I dream this DC wants to kill me and is a murderer doesn't make him any more guilty than a child I'm dreaming of, but questions like these are philosophical and actually need an own thread) and having sex with people I know. Though I think most of arguments like that would come from old women beliving in God and saying dreams like that come from Satan (I actually once saw a thread where one guy was telling people how they should quit dreaming, he himself had suffered from nightmares before he had a revelation and the nightmares stopped).

ROFL its funny when people say lucid dreaming is a waste of time because in actuality its them that are spending about 7 years of their life unconcious when they could be doing anything they have ever wanted to experience.

haha, I know exactly what you're talking about. Back when I was more into lucid dreaming I used to try and talk about it with people and would notice strange reactions. Of course there's the scoffing and dismissing of it. Among other things, I think this might stem from the notion that lucid dreaming is an anti-social behavior, which it kind of is. It's kind of the same reason some people scoff at video games, or hate on people who don't have a job. So many times an interest is measured on how much social interaction it involves, at least in a westernized culture.

But I also think that there is something deeper. Dreaming is such a huge part of lives, yet so many people neglect it when they are awake. I think this is because your dreams do say something about who you really are, and to investigate that at all is fear-inducing to a lot of people. I really think people are scared of their dreams.

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Originally Posted by Coglapse

haha, I know exactly what you're talking about. Back when I was more into lucid dreaming I used to try and talk about it with people and would notice strange reactions. Of course there's the scoffing and dismissing of it. Among other things, I think this might stem from the notion that lucid dreaming is an anti-social behavior, which it kind of is. It's kind of the same reason some people scoff at video games, or hate on people who don't have a job. So many times an interest is measured on how much social interaction it involves, at least in a westernized culture.

But I also think that there is something deeper. Dreaming is such a huge part of lives, yet so many people neglect it when they are awake. I think this is because your dreams do say something about who you really are, and to investigate that at all is fear-inducing to a lot of people. I really think people are scared of their dreams.

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But anyway, on top to this: You shouldn't care what other people think about. I mean, it's like you like different flavour of soda but the other kids hate it. I mean... and??? Are you gonna stop drinking it cause they don't like it?
One of my closest friends lucid dream with me, it's pretty cool. (When i say with me, i don't mean SDing :3 ) but when i tell other people about it, my friends tend not to judge me as they know the kind of person I am.

You shouldn't revive threads that are "dead"? Where does it say this? Surely that's a pointless rule if someone's got something new to bring to a conversation?

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

You shouldn't revive threads that are "dead"? Where does it say this? Surely that's a pointless rule if someone's got something new to bring to a conversation?

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Well, this isn't bringing anything new to the conversation now, is it? ^_^
Anyway, i'll edit it out of my post.

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Originally Posted by fOrceez

But anyway, on top to this: You shouldn't care what other people think about. I mean, it's like you like different flavour of soda but the other kids hate it. I mean... and??? Are you gonna stop drinking it cause they don't like it?
One of my closest friends lucid dream with me, it's pretty cool. (When i say with me, i don't mean SDing :3 ) but when i tell other people about it, my friends tend not to judge me as they know the kind of person I am.

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Well, I want to understand why. Your analogy with soda is inaccurate btw, for reasons too obvious to list.

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Originally Posted by fOrceez

Well, this isn't bringing anything new to the conversation now, is it? ^_^

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well that's not rude at all

I understand what you're saying, I too get confused looks. But, I love dreaming. I personally have only had a couple lucid dreams, but I feel special knowing that I have done this. I love knowing that I have a unique outlook on the dream world, and I also love telling people about it, and trying to teach them. If people are simply not interested, I say, its their loss. Those people have no idea what they're missing out on! And that's okay, think of it as, you have a unique gift. Something that you've put work towards and something that YOU can enjoy. Who cares what they think, I personally dont care anymore :) sure can be frustrating though when they think you're lying LOL

well, THIS isn't a serious discussion :)
Just my opinion, but you can't expect people to share your view, or if they are too quick to judge you shouldn't hate them. Say you hate READING (just an example) would you consider it and try it just if someone talked about enjoying it even if it seemed weird, and was one of your least favorite things? NEVER judge someone by one thing they say, they could have many reasons why they said that.

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Originally Posted by Texture

well, THIS isn't a serious discussion :)
Just my opinion, but you can't expect people to share your view, or if they are too quick to judge you shouldn't hate them. Say you hate READING (just an example) would you consider it and try it just if someone talked about enjoying it even if it seemed weird, and was one of your least favorite things? NEVER judge someone by one thing they say, they could have many reasons why they said that.

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That is a great example. Maby if we tried to calmly explain what people are missing by not reading and lucid dreaming they would have a lot more fun in their lives. :)

For whatever reason, most people, even if they're actually interested, are like ashamed to admit to it. It's like you're telling them about how great masturbation is or something... you get those same kind of looks like "Dude, STFU! Don't be talking to me about this stuff where people can hear us!"

And when they say they don't have to time to try it or whatever, all they're really doing is putting you off. Basically they just want some quick thing they can say to shut you up.

I remember once my friend told me he could wake up and then go right back to sleep and back into the same dream... I didn't believe him (obviously this was before I knew much about LDing). I literally thought he was just making it up. But then, he always did lie about everything and he always made it sound like he was some kind of badass superhero in his dreams, so I didn't believe anything he told me especially about his dreams. Which just goes to show ya, until you've experienced something like lucidity yourself, you don't want to hear people bragging about cool shit they can do in their dreams.

Heh.. after I had experienced a few lucids I told him about them, and he was all like "Man shut up... you can't do that!"

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Originally Posted by Bobblehat

You shouldn't revive threads that are "dead"? Where does it say this? Surely that's a pointless rule if someone's got something new to bring to a conversation?

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It's called necro posting and your not supposed to do it. :P

If a thread has served it's purpose and some one has something to add than they can start a new thread.

This thread shouldn't have been revived, but seeing as there's still a discussion going, it can stay open.

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Originally Posted by dakotahnok

It's called necro posting and your not supposed to do it. :P

If a thread has served it's purpose and some one has something to add than they can start a new thread.

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My question, "Where does it say that?" wasn't a rhetorical question. It genuinely WAS a question - I wanted to know where it said you shouldn't revive an old thread. So there was no need to do the sticky-out tongue thing. I'm still confused though: how does one decide that a thread has, "Served its purpose"? How long does a thread have to existed until it's declared a "dead" thread? And I'm not sure why someone should start a new thread if they have something to add to a discussion.

I agree with Puffin that this thread shouldn't have been revived. I try to ensure that my views, values and opinions are in constant flux. (Not that anyone could know that!) My views have changed since I made this thread. However, I can't imagine there ever being a time when I will have a great deal of respect for someone who ridicules me and my interests in a social setting to try to make other people laugh at me and make themselves look good.

Most people frown on necroing months-old threads, generally you shouldn't do it unless the mods say they're cool with it.

I'm not entirely sure what it is about necroing old threads that annoys people, but I guess it's something along the lines of "We want to separate the discussion we had about this a year ago from the discussion we're having about this now so things are kept organized nicely by general time and threads don't get too big. If you want to reference a post made in an old topic, you don't necessarily have to reply in the old topic, just add a link to the post."

This is just what came to my mind while reading this post:
http://i.imgur.com/ki4Kr.png

I can see how it could be a little annoying for people who have changed their views, but to make a rule for it seems a little extreme, and anyone who actively complains about it is at least a little anal-retentive and douchey...

Regardless, although I'm not sorry if I upset anyone, I'll try not to necro-post again.

But since we're somewhat on the topic, I think it's pretty arrogant and self-serving whenever someone says anything along the lines of "who cares what anyone else thinks". We should care because we share a world with them. Of course it's within reason, and I'm not saying that because other people don't like sprite you should stop drinking sprite; individual taste in soda is just not as relevant to life and the world as dreams are. Everybody dreams, and if a massive portion of the population dismisses the implications of dreams (including lucid dreaming), then I think it's worth investigating why this is the case for the sole reason that it could tell us something about human nature.

Well, I know what you mean, It was the same for me, but i didnt force the issue and my freinds in college acutally came around themselves and began asking me about it! You never want to force a learnign experience on someone, simply plant the seed, then wait for them to come to you!
I know how you feel, sometimes it annoyed me, but i certainly didnt feel actual hate for them, annoyance, yes.

At the end of the day, everyone is on a different path and to push one from there own, well, that would mean getting off yours to do so!

Well not to start any fights, All i was simply stating is who cares if they give you a hard time about something you care about and that they refuse to understand. Theres nothing arrogant about that my friend. What is arrogant, is saying you dont care if you upset someone, good day.

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Originally Posted by yuriythebest

an evangelist is someone who actively goes around trying to convert people to a religion or world view

I don't think you are one :) It's simply natural that, if you've discovered something wonderful you'd want to share it with people you know like family and friends..

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evangelicists believe their religious view is something wonderful.

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Originally Posted by GuyCecil

Most people frown on necroing months-old threads, generally you shouldn't do it unless the mods say they're cool with it.

I'm not entirely sure what it is about necroing old threads that annoys people, but I guess it's something along the lines of "We want to separate the discussion we had about this a year ago from the discussion we're having about this now so things are kept organized nicely by general time and threads don't get too big. If you want to reference a post made in an old topic, you don't necessarily have to reply in the old topic, just add a link to the post."

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It really bugs me when people shun necroposting. Often I learn of something new or read of an experience I've never heard of because a thread's come back from the dead. And TBH I feel quite thankful for whoever's done it. Regardless of how bitter/grumpy people get.

Gah, anyhow sorry for the off-topic post.

Most people I talk to think that it's cool.

It's hit or miss for me. I've met friends who do it too or I've had friends lecture me. It depends on the personality type of the person. My friends who are always focused on what's going on think it's stupid and that dreaming sets you up for bad expectations.