is this a dream or real life?

[Tronik]

in our dreams, we can see things, hear things and as our adrenaline surges, we can feel things, almost like in real life. how can you be sure that you're not dreaming right now? (a pinch isn't very trust worthy as your dreams do manipulate your senses...so I hear) I'm a writer researching the subject for a possible project. I'd like some input from you guys. I'm new by the way...Hi!

[Seeker]

Welcome to DreamViews Tronic! It is a difficult question you ask. What is waking and what is dreaming? In my opinion, they are different aspects of reality. We experience reality, when awake, it is one reality, when asleep, another. Who is to say which reality is more valid or more real than the other? Conciousness continues in either. As you said, we feel and experience in either just as strongly. This is why I argue against immorality in lucid dreams sometimes. It's a case of "Whereever you go, there you are". Your conciousness and hopefully your morals follow you into your dream life.

[Wolffe]

Man, I love this aspect of dreaming ;P (See my sig! ) My personal opinion is that you can't tell whether you're dreaming or not! When in a dream, anything can be acceptable, as most people have experienced, and it's only a matter of waking up to 'reality' to show us that these were illogical. If you apply this to 'reality' you could say the same thing! This concept of flying in large blocks of metal with some strips sticking outta the side. What kind of moronic concept is this?! The universe? Life as a whole! They are all accepted, but if you think about it hard enough, they could be just as silly as a mother-in-law pink elephant rocket launcher, I think. Ouch my brain hurts now.

[Barbizzle]

This question has been a main one for many years, through time. The Tibetan Yogis of Asia used to "train themselves consciously, with the ultimate goal to awake from the dream we call reality." They realized how life-like dreams could be when they remained mentally aware of them, and weaved it into their religious practices. According to them, when the physical body dies, their souls live on in the dream state. And when they became aware of this truth, they would escape the cycle of rebirth. So we may never know, its up to the individual do decide, if we are aware, does that mean we are alive, does that mean it is reality? I think that the dream world is not a reality in the sence that we must live with consequences and other real people. It is all in our mind's perception, but then again, isn't real life....?

[Callista]

Dreams can be very, very real. I've been told some people don't even dream in color; but mine have taste, touch, smell... even unwanted things like pain sensations (generally dulled, thank goodnes, from what they'd be in "real life") and, yes, adrenaline surges. So, yes--you can pinch yourself and feel pain and still be dreaming. Or at least I've done that; you may well be grateful that your own dreams do not contain pain. Telling the difference is really pretty simple, though. You've spent your life learning laws of logic that operate in this world; but in a dream, they can be broken. The dream world does not have the same laws of "physics" as this world; and it is quite easy to conduct some simple experiments to determine which universe you are currently in. Anything that shows you that can be a good way to figure out which is which. I recommend simplicity, though; because your mind, in a dream, does not operate nearly as logically as it does in waking life, especially when you first begin to think that you might be dreaming. Keeping hold of ideas, accessing memories, and especially remembering to do something you told yourself to do while you were awake can be quite difficult. It's like living with memory loss and ADD at the same time! A simple test I usually use is to attempt to get something to move without touching it. Obviously, that doesn't work in real life because of the whole Newton's Laws deal. Or attempt to change what's going on around you by thinking it. Try flying or hovering. Try turning on the lights or turning them off without touching the switch. Try passing one solid object through another or walking through a wall. If they work, you know it's a dream. Also, your perceptions are altered--not in vividness, but in the way things tend to change or disapper when you don't pay attention to them. Reading, for me, is difficult while I'm in a dream; the letters will change and I'll have trouble recognizing even one or two words; and if I do recognize them, I may not remember them a moment later. So try reading something, or looking at some other pattern that is usually regular. Generally, the way you're thinking and seeing things can tell you you're dreaming. Dreams just have a certain "feel" to them; almost as though you're tired, but not quite. Maybe it's closer to the way your mind feels when you're daydreaming, or meditating (can't confirm that last one, but I've been told that's so). Generally, to change a dream, you first imagine something, and the convince yourself that it is true. If this is possible, then of course, you are inside a dream. So... simple, and at the same time not simple. Because when you tell the difference, you're telling the difference between two worlds. They have different physical laws, different logic. One is as real as the other; the only difference is that the dream-world is the world of your mind, directly important only to you. (You can tell this because you are the only one in your dream world capable of complete power over the dream's other inhabitants; but they cannot do the same to you. Logically, this means you are its central character and "creator".)

[Tronik]

When I was younger, I use to wish I could fly, just like a falcon. In my dreams, I'd still want it badly, so much that I remember jumping and jumping hopping to suddenly take off and fly. Once, in one of my dreams I found myself in the air. I was high up in sky looking down at the world. This was the first time something like this happened in my dreams. I've never been in the air in such a way; it was amazing. I clearly remember the cool wind blowing through my body- I could literally see my shirt flowing. I could feel my hair going wild by the rushing winds and I distinctly remember the pain in my eyes as they felt the force of the air. These sensations were amazing. The view was incredible and it was almost exactly what I wanted, that is, until I realized that the once far away mountains and buildings kept getting closer and closer. I tried to move my arms almost like a bird but I still couldn’t navigate through the air- to say the least, it was very comical the ways I tried, desperately to fly while in the air…but ultimately failing. I finally came to the sad conclusion that I was never actually flying- I was simply falling. As much as I tried, I never mange to gain control of the situation – I guess that’s what lucidity allows you to do but I bet it’s pretty hard achieving this. Originally posted by Callista Dreams can be very, very real. I've been told some people don't even dream in color; but mine have taste, touch, smell... even unwanted things like pain sensations (generally dulled, thank goodnes, from what they'd be in \"real life\") and, yes, adrenaline surges. So, yes--you can pinch yourself and feel pain and still be dreaming. Or at least I've done that; you may well be grateful that your own dreams do not contain pain. Telling the difference is really pretty simple, though. You've spent your life learning laws of logic that operate in this world; but in a dream, they can be broken. The dream world does not have the same laws of \"physics\" as this world; and it is quite easy to conduct some simple experiments to determine which universe you are currently in. Anything that shows you that can be a good way to figure out which is which. I recommend simplicity, though; because your mind, in a dream, does not operate nearly as logically as it does in waking life, especially when you first begin to think that you might be dreaming. Keeping hold of ideas, accessing memories, and especially remembering to do something you told yourself to do while you were awake can be quite difficult. It's like living with memory loss and ADD at the same time! A simple test I usually use is to attempt to get something to move without touching it. Obviously, that doesn't work in real life because of the whole Newton's Laws deal. Or attempt to change what's going on around you by thinking it. Try flying or hovering. Try turning on the lights or turning them off without touching the switch. Try passing one solid object through another or walking through a wall. If they work, you know it's a dream. Also, your perceptions are altered--not in vividness, but in the way things tend to change or disapper when you don't pay attention to them. Reading, for me, is difficult while I'm in a dream; the letters will change and I'll have trouble recognizing even one or two words; and if I do recognize them, I may not remember them a moment later. So try reading something, or looking at some other pattern that is usually regular. Generally, the way you're thinking and seeing things can tell you you're dreaming. Dreams just have a certain \"feel\" to them; almost as though you're tired, but not quite. Maybe it's closer to the way your mind feels when you're daydreaming, or meditating (can't confirm that last one, but I've been told that's so). Generally, to change a dream, you first imagine something, and the convince yourself that it is true. If this is possible, then of course, you are inside a dream. So... simple, and at the same time not simple. Because when you tell the difference, you're telling the difference between two worlds. They have different physical laws, different logic. One is as real as the other; the only difference is that the dream-world is the world of your mind, directly important only to you. (You can tell this because you are the only one in your dream world capable of complete power over the dream's other inhabitants; but they cannot do the same to you. Logically, this means you are its central character and \"creator\".)