the dream is real
On the side of a bus, the new poster for Inception says “The dream is real.”
Tantalizing movie tag-lines aside, I decided to pose the exact opposite.
The real is a dream.
And then I played with a thought experiment:
You sitting in morning traffic is a dream.
Working a job (you may, or may not enjoy) is a dream.
Status is a dream.
“I have to” is a dream.
Judging others is a dream.
“I’m not good enough” is a dream.
Depression is a dream.
“I can’t make a difference” is a dream.
The War on Terror is a dream.
Happiness is a dream.
A cold meaningless universe is a dream.
Fear is a dream.
You are a dream.
Only love is real.
If you are able to believe that all of those items on your list are a dream, it isn’t a far stretch to consider love a dream as well. Similar feelings to love can be achieved by eating quality chocolate or consuming good wine, so why is love different? 😉
@stefan – eating chocolate and good wine can induce temporary satisfaction, but pale in comparison to actual love. it’s like comparing a thimble of seawater to swimming in the ocean.
Experience is the imprint that our reality leaves on us. I don’t see a duality between dream and reality – I think all these things leave the impression of experience to a greater or lesser degree. They may be press through to different levels of consciousness (chocolate being on the surface, visceral, level) and love penetrating all levels above and below.