Having A Really, Really Good Dream
Posted by Evan Bailyn on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 comments
A philosopher once wrote “If a pauper were to dream he was a king for half his life, and a king were to dream he was a pauper for half his life, then there would be no difference between the two.”
Dreaming possesses the sometimes-scary, sometimes-amazing property of being extremely realistic. Dreams can be even more vivid than waking life, for in the unconscious state, all of one’s vulnerabilities, fears, and fantasies are laid bare. Often, the mind must spin elaborate metaphors in order to shield the dreamer from images that are so visceral that they would immediately frighten him out of his sleep. But the same realisticness that makes nightmares so terrifying makes really really good dreams absolutely incredible.
For instance, I once dreamt that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were both my girlfriends. Each of them in their own way had such a wicked crush on me that they were constantly bickering over who would get to spend time with me. I don’t even think I said very much to them. All I had to do was be myself, and a fierce attraction followed. I was in heaven.
When I woke up from my dream, the fog of happiness that had so recently enveloped me was changed into bleak, early-morning reality. The security I had felt in the situation was unceremoniously shattered. What had transpired in my dream may as well have happened in real life, because it felt true in every way; and to lose it was tremendously disappointing. But I was thankful to have even had the dream at all. It made me feel hopeful, somehow.
Despite the fact that wonderful dreams are always accompanied by the unfortunate act of waking up, there are very few experiences in life that are as thrilling and heart-rending as a really good dream.
Evan Bailyn is a serial entrepreneur, search engine and social media expert, celebrated author and child advocate. His company, First Page Sage, is a leader in search engine optimization and social media marketing - vastly increasing business for its clients through high SEO rankings, targeted Facebook advertising and viral videos. Evan is also the founder of the Evan Bailyn Foundation, a foundation dedicated to teaching emotional awareness to children and adults.
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