Are we supposed to?

[Tornado Joe]

I did a search and didn't find a post which asks: Are we meant to lucid dream? Nature is a very complex force that always seems to (when not interfered with) have a way of keeping things balanced. I can't think of any great examples at the moment - but it's kinda like how when we get frightened or excited our body shoots up adrenalin so that we may have the energy to flee or act quickly. Or how we sweat when our bodies overheat. Dogs don't have sweat glands, so nature/evolution gave them a different way of cooling their bodies. They pant which helps cool the blood in their tongues. Other animals use the sun to regulate their blood temp, etc. (you get the idea?) Anyway... What I was wondering is, why the hell is it so damn hard to become conscious while in a dream? Could it be that maybe we're not supposed to have this ability? Are some poeople just lucky or "gifted" in achieveing lucidity so easily? What harm could come from it should we continue trying? Whether or not we were meant to LD, there's no way in hell I'm going to stop trying. I just wondered if anyone else out there thought about this. I like to think that many years, decades, or even centuries from now all this self discovery will lead to a new age. Just like the ages of "Reason" and "Enlightenment", there will be an age of "Self-Conciousness" or something of that nature. Today's DVers will someday be looked back upon as the way-before-pre-founding fathers of this age - probably like we see cavemen today. I guess I could live with that.... (as long as they don't depict me hunched over wearing some loincloth!)

[Kaniaz]

[quote]What I was wondering is, why the hell is it so damn hard to become conscious while in a dream? Could it be that maybe we're not supposed to have this ability? Are some poeople just lucky or \"gifted\" in achieveing lucidity so easily? What harm could come from it should we continue trying? Well, I guess more or less - because you're dreaming. When you dream half the brain isn't exactly working as usual so your consciousness is more or less clouded over. That's why, in dreams, I think you often can't put two and two together - or you put them together and get flying oranges. That and evolution (if I personify it) doesn't, as a rule, evolve things for fun - more for survival. Lucid dreaming isn't really needed to stay alive, so I guess it's just a happy side effect of dreaming, perhaps. \"Reason\", \"Enlightenment\", age of \"Self-Conciousness\" That sounds way too like those drugged up guys to my liking that always propheise the "downfall of the system" or something for my liking.

[Leo Volont]

Originally posted by Tornado Joe I did a search and didn't find a post which asks: Are we meant to lucid dream? Nature is a very complex force that always seems to (when not interfered with) have a way of keeping things balanced. I can't think of any great examples at the moment - but it's kinda like how when we get frightened or excited our body shoots up adrenalin so that we may have the energy to flee or act quickly. Or how we sweat when our bodies overheat. Dogs don't have sweat glands, so nature/evolution gave them a different way of cooling their bodies. They pant which helps cool the blood in their tongues. Other animals use the sun to regulate their blood temp, etc. (you get the idea?) Anyway... What I was wondering is, why the hell is it so damn hard to become conscious while in a dream? Could it be that maybe we're not supposed to have this ability? Are some poeople just lucky or \"gifted\" in achieveing lucidity so easily? What harm could come from it should we continue trying? Whether or not we were meant to LD, there's no way in hell I'm going to stop trying. I just wondered if anyone else out there thought about this. I like to think that many years, decades, or even centuries from now all this self discovery will lead to a new age. Just like the ages of \"Reason\" and \"Enlightenment\", there will be an age of \"Self-Conciousness\" or something of that nature. Today's DVers will someday be looked back upon as the way-before-pre-founding fathers of this age - probably like we see cavemen today. I guess I could live with that.... (as long as they don't depict me hunched over wearing some loincloth!) We are always 'conscious' in our dreams, but not always conscious of the distinction between waking and dreaming. Our Dream Selves are quite happy in the environ of Dreams and would hardly give it a second thought. To the Dream Self, the Dream State is the True Reality. And, yes, I have expressed similar concerns that the Lucid Dream is something of an un-natural hybrid. We often here of False Awakenings and even of Dream Character coming up to the dreamer objecting to his Lucidity. Now, I believe that Lucidity doesn't have to be used to overly interfer with the Creativity of the Dream Process, that is from the point of view of that Mental Mechanism that creates our Dreams, but some people do in fact completely annihilate their dreams for the sake of playing with their Dream Control, which amounts to little more than Dream Destruction. Knowing that one is dreaming should be valuable in that it offers us insight into our Dream Decisions and Dream Choices, but I suppose it should never lead us to a complete rejection of the Dream as it is being played. How do we know when we are consistently going too far with interfering in the Dream Process. Well, our dreams will certainly let us know, as they begin to attempt to shake off Lucidity with False Awakenings, and other devices intended to loll us back to normal Dreaming.

[OpheliaBlue]

Originally posted by Kaniaz That and evolution (if I personify it) doesn't, as a rule, evolve things for fun - more for survival. Lucid dreaming isn't really needed to stay alive, so I guess it's just a happy side effect of dreaming, perhaps. Yeah I tend to think along those same lines. We seem to be programmed NOT to be lucid, for whatever reason. And there are just several levels of lucky for those who can do it. Or something. LOL @ flying oranges Kaniaz.

[Scruffy]

I've noticed that a larger number of people are natural LDers when they're young than when they get older. I would bet that most people have experienced a lucid dream, even if they never realized it, while young. However, at that age, we are more curious, and don't often try to control our world - we go with the flow, enjoying what lucidity adds to the experience. I think that lucid dreaming can be quite beneficial if we take the right approach to it - that of curiousity and openness. Our mind is at it's most creative while we are dreaming, and lucidity can be used to tap into that resource. While the occasional stress-release dream where you controll everything can be fun, too many get excessesive, and, in my opnion, harmful.

[Barbizzle]

I belive that Lucid dreaming is just a natural part of being human. its another deeper level of awareness to make ourslevs grow internaly. Lucid dreaming probebly wnast suppsoed ot happen becase,, but hwo cares we can do it, and do it well