There is no waking life or dreams?

**jers25** · 01-27-2014 04:58 AM

Could it be that our perception of reality is based on our awareness? That we are not in waking life or in a dream but rather we are "in" awareness. That we have broken down this awareness into two categories (waking life & dreams) when we should be looking at it as a whole. So what I'm trying to say is Awareness is existence and not just the WL part.
If we can bring our focus back to the singular point that awareness is Me and it's what creates our reality, then in time we can reunite with awareness as a whole so dreams won't feel so hard to reach anymore. Thus later we will think of dreams as just a continuation of experiences that happen after we lay in bed because we can maintain awareness at all times.
I'm sure everyone has their own view of what reality is and I'm not saying that this is correct. I'm just having a philosophical moment that just came to me, which I'm sure you all can relate to since your here on this site trying to experience something more in reality through dreams. So I know awareness and self- awareness is a big part of lucid dreaming and wanting to implement it more in my life is what I'm trying to say here.
Trying to figure out what reality is has always intrigued me so please feel free to add on to this, give your take what reality is to you, or go further in discussing self-awareness is fine by me. I'd appreciate your responses. Peace.

**Darkswerk** · 01-27-2014 05:42 AM

I honestly don't know. Because after I found lucid dreaming I was blown away that this "reality" that I know might not actually be the only "reality". The only problem I would have with what you are saying it dreams are all made up from our mind so it's not like we go to sleep and see our friends in this other reality. But for example I am a Christian so we believe there is another plane of reality known as heaven. It's such a crazy thing to think about because as far fetched as it sounds you really can't prove that there isn't other planes of existence.

**Validus** · 01-27-2014 05:52 AM

I like what you have here, and it could be leading somewhere. However, I don't necessarily agree with it.

So what I'm trying to say is Awareness is reality

I would have to mostly point this out, and disagree with it as well. Could be an accidental wording, however, the way it IS worded, ill have to counter. How could awareness be reality when the awareness in the dream scape is most definitely not reality? I am 100% more limited in reality than I am within my dreams weather aware or not. For instance, If I am aware that I CAN spew fire from my palms, is this reality? Ehh, I'm going to say no.. An Alternate Reality? Most definitely! That is very plausible, in my books. THIS Reality that me, you, and everyone else are experiencing at this very moment could just as easily be not-reality.. Lol.

However, in THIS reality, our conciousness and awareness is the only thing that allows us to perceive reality and visa versa so, in what you were saying before, like I said; that's getting somewhere.

**PostScript99** · 01-27-2014 05:54 AM

Most people aren't aware in either their waking lives or their dream worlds, though. Self-awareness is almost beyond their comprehension because they follow from thought to thought without realizing what they think is reality is only what they perceive through their senses.

My opinion on this is that we don't know enough about our world to truly say what the nature of "reality" is. I could have figured out time dilation, stripped myself of my memory and dream control powers, and placed myself into a dream character's body in a stable world created as an escape from my miserable other life. I could be an artificially conscious dream character created in someone else's dream. I don't know anything, yet I find myself still looking fruitlessly for a sense of purpose because I've never woken from this dream. Other people who don't know about lucid dreaming sicken me, with their all-important realities, that this is the world where you are sas and happy, where things happen and events matter, when really who can say what is real and what isn't?

**jers25** · 01-27-2014 06:11 AM

Darkswerk since being Christian then when you die and your soul is in heaven your going to be aware that you are there so thus if you are aware that you exist, then you do.
Ha Ha Yea Validus when these spontaneous moments of crazy thoughts happen I just try to type everything down so it's not forgotten whether it makes sense or not. But that's the point I'm trying to make is even though you can shoot fireballs, if you are aware that you're doing it then you exist. So I need to change what I said about awareness being reality to Awareness is Existence. Whether you are sitting in the office, flying like superman or died and gone to heaven; so if you are aware in these realities then you exist. So why divide awareness in what's real or not real or a dream, or death but yet keep awareness and self-awareness as a whole because you exist from it.

**FoxyGrandma3000** · 01-27-2014 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by PostScript99

I could be an artificially conscious dream character created in someone else's dream.

"I think, therefore I am."

That is the currently accepted argument for your own existence.

From Wikipedia: "The very act of doubting one's own existence arguably serves as proof of the reality of one's own existence, or at least of one's thought."

So please don't use that argument again!

**Carabas** · 01-27-2014 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by FoxyGrandma3000

"I think, therefore I am."

That is the currently accepted argument for your own existence.

From Wikipedia: "The very act of doubting one's own existence arguably serves as proof of the reality of one's own existence, or at least of one's thought."

So please don't use that argument again!

That word 'arguably' in the wikipedia quote you posted is there for a reason: it's okay to argue the point. And plenty of philosophers have done so - you'll find some examples under the Criticism section on that same wikipedia page.

(Though I don't think PostScript99 actually was arguing against his own existence, just questioning the nature of that existence - cogito ergo sum doesn't apply. But that aside.)

Cogito ergo sum's a great argument, but it's not some sacred truth set in stone, it's not meant to discourage people from questioning.