esse quam videri

Descartes wondered and, at the same time, stripped everything, even the simple act of writing this response, bare on a philosophical level. I think he raised this question (reality vs. dream world) mostly to explore how powerful the subconscious really is and/or can be. Personally I think it is nearly impossible to differentiate between dreams and reality. Even in our so-called “reality” people suffer from delusions, hallucinations, etc., and even those who suffer from those types of disorders can’t differentiate between what is real. Maybe the human race itself is sick and our minds have bent our thinking into calling a person who sees the truth sick instead. Frankly, the possibilities here are endless.

Recently I watched a film titled VANILLA SKY (excellent by the way) that touched on these exact issues. It was quite interesting in a Matrix kind of way, in that it explores being able to control one’s surroundings in the dream state. There is a Latin phrase that states, “Esse quam videri" meaning, “To be, rather than to seem". I think those words tie in nicely to this topic, but I don’t think it applies only to a physical level. Instead, I think we need to strive to be who we are in our dreams as well -- after all, that is where we birth our futures. Why not set a goal that could actually be achieved? I’m not saying to stop reaching beyond one’s abilities. In fact continue to do that. How else could one grow? What I am trying to say is that I think you can control your dreams as well as your life (obviously, not to the utmost extent, but the majority at least) so that one can shape whatever type of existence they wish to have.

It’s extremely remarkable when every single culture has correlated the dream world with enlightenment. Native Americans would get “visions from the Gods” in order to guide them along the path of life, the ancient Greeks would visit Oracles for advice, the list goes on and on. Maybe getting back to a simpler dimension of reality, one that pushes off all barriers, is what we need to strive for.