Thread: Do people think you're Mad...?

Yeah, I tend to get some funny looks as well, and people tend not to believe that it's real. They do tend to show a general interest in the subject though, so that'll do me just fine! It's not as if I've ever been the normal one

I haven't talked about it to many people, but the general response is "Too complicated" or "I don't have time for that".

Thanks for your replies, I guess I confided in people because I thought if it was the other way around I would have found it fascinating!

I no longer tell anyone about my experiences.
In fact, I am considering not telling my wife any more about my dreams. The spooky stuff that goes on is un-nerving her.
A dream diary is also out of the question, as there are a few on here that my experiences may annoy.
I am just going to report the fun stuff from now on. That way, no more arguements.

I got given weird looks when I told my family about lucid dreaming. It's like I'm the weird one! It makes me pretty disappointed in most of the human race as a lot people aren't open-minded about stuff like this.

I love how people said "I dont have time for this" when all you have to do is sleep and also take ONE minute of your time every hour or so to do an RC. Like seriously how is that "too much" time?

Indeed I am also shocked at the narrow minded attitudes to this you would think it would trigger some couriosity

Yes, they do . I love to come up as crazy, as long as people are not offensive.

Hi TiredPhil, I am intrigued by the spooky stuff you say you have experienced I have not yet had a bad experience but I am mindful of it and sometimes if I am just walking through a dream scene I get an eerie feeling and some dream characters are motionless shells of people that I just brush past I guess I find that spooky.

Do people think you're Mad? In a nutshell...Yes But to quote George Gershwin and Ella FitzGerald..."music maestro please"... ahem...1-2-3"

They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly

They told Marconi
Wireless was a phony
It's the same old cry
They laughed at you wanting dreams
Said you are reaching for the moon
But oh, you'll come through
Then they'll have to change their tune

They all laughed at Rockefeller Center
Now they're fighting to get in
They all laughed at Whitney and his cotton gin
They all laughed at Fulton and his steamboat
Hershey and his chocolate bar

Ford and his Lizzie
Kept the laughers busy
That's how people are
They laughed at you wanting dreams
Said it would be, "Hello, Goodbye."
And oh, you'll come through
Then they're eating humble pie


For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?"


The jokes on them I think..........


serenade2.gif

Mostly, people take what I say seriously, but with lucid dreaming the most common response is a complete lack of interest. As if it might be of some scientific merit, but of no practical use what so ever. Or maybe the concept of being aware, while asleep, seems too much like a contradiction in terms for them to even give it the slightest true thought.

I've kind of tried to explain it to my best friend and he really doesn't say anything. I think this'll just be a personal thing for me.

Just a mad man with a box. The usual response is"that sounds hard" or "omg that sounds awesome I want to do that!" Nothing totally negative- The Doctor

In another thread we were discussing ways to bring up the subject and I came to the conclusion that if you want to try to talk about it perhaps start with something like "I had this wild dream the other day...do you have any crazy ones?" See if they even have an interest in dreams...half the time they will say that they don't dream anymore (which we all know is a fairly common misconception). You can also talk about movies like Inception or Chronicle (LD-like skills).

Thanks for the advice, I guess I was a little naive in expecting a positive reaction from people and for sure will be more tactile should I bring the subject anymore (not sure that I will however) but especially like the reference to such movies

In addition to LDing I like psychology and some philosophy but I've come to realise it's a waste of time talking about these subjects too.

Well, people mostly react very crazy ...but I heard that brother of some friend of my GF can astral project and I strongly believe it's true..... I've been hearing from many people things like that in the last few months..... I believe it's true idk why most people are so surprised or anything but not in a good way but in a bad way and they get like YOU ARE CRAZY!!! I hate when people react like that.... why would I be crazy....like idk....you are crazy for saying I'm crazy!!!!

Personally I think we should enjoy the "exclusivity" while it lasts because it only needs Sony or Apple to bring out a device that takes the pain out of becoming lucid and it will take off like a rocket (I don't think they've latched onto the commercial potential yet and Laberge seems to have hit a wall) Maybe Ipads will become obsolete and businesses and schools will be half-empty because workers and pupils are lying-in. We'll be puffing our pipes and reflecting on the old days, when "we had to do it the hard way"

Maybe these machines would threaten society so much that such devices are made illegal and it's back to the "hard way" again, when most people won't want the pain..a bit like the over-fishing threat when it's back to rod and line..and we're "exclusive" again...but people no longer scoff at us...

Hey....I've got a novel there!

I think you're right on target with the idea that such technology would be illegalised by the authorities. Personally, I think lucid dreaming has such potential to cure ailments (especially psychological ones), that an unholy alliance of pharmaceutical companies, politicians, and bureacrats at some point will render lucid dreaming an illicit activity - and back this move by massive anti-lucid dreaming propaganda spewing out of the (essentially government controlled) mass media.

I'm already looking forward towards being a rebel.

Originally Posted by Hammer

Hi TiredPhil, I am intrigued by the spooky stuff you say you have experienced I have not yet had a bad experience but I am mindful of it and sometimes if I am just walking through a dream scene I get an eerie feeling and some dream characters are motionless shells of people that I just brush past I guess I find that spooky.

Sorry, but from now on the "Spooky Stuff" is staying locked away in my brain.
A few DV members have adverse reactions to certain posts. Mainly the unexplainable occurences in the dream world.
Many members with some interesting experiences to pass on are often jumped on by them. So ending what could have been an interesting thread.
This has now passed into my dreams, where certain tasks are now being hindered by dream characters.
It seems my dream state reflects, to a point, my waking reality.

Well.... I think it's right..... we should enjoy it while it lasts..... it would be silly if some technology will be made or get commercialised by some stpd guy who only cares about the money..... I hate people who want to sell everything it goes on my nerves :/

Originally Posted by Voldmer

I think you're right on target with the idea that such technology would be illegalised by the authorities. Personally, I think lucid dreaming has such potential to cure ailments (especially psychological ones), that an unholy alliance of pharmaceutical companies, politicians, and bureacrats at some point will render lucid dreaming an illicit activity - and back this move by massive anti-lucid dreaming propaganda spewing out of the (essentially government controlled) mass media.

I'm already looking forward towards being a rebel.

Ah...but how will they know we're LD ing (unless we're wired up like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix...and then they discover that we can travel across space instantly like the Space Guild in Dune and they make us fold space for them...and I don't wanna end up like this...although that looks a bit like one of the women in my dream the other night) hey! I've got a sequel!

space guild.jpg

Originally Posted by Bobblehat

In addition to LDing I like psychology and some philosophy but I've come to realise it's a waste of time talking about these subjects too.

I like things like quantum theory and astronomy (purely layman's level) and they're just not the things you bring up in a pub or mixed company "Hey, what do you think about Schrödinger's cat?" would get "I didn't even know it was dead" and jokes like "Schrodinger’s cat walks into a bar and doesn’t." and "A higgs-boson walks into a church. The priest says “Higgs-bosons aren’t allowed in here.” The higgs-boson says “But without me, how can you have mass?” would get you thrown out or sectioned

I discovered that there were techniques and ways to trigger lucid dreams when I was about 13 or 14. Before that I had been lucid a couple of times. Anyway, my first reaction was to face my mom and demand an answer to why she hadn't told me about lucid dreaming. She was not following. She though I was talking about Wicca, or the new age movement. Some time later I tried to explain to her what it really was, but I think she though the whole thing was akward.

Same goes with my friends. Even my fiancé thinks I'm nuts!

Thank God the government hasn't figured out how to tax it yet.