Disturbing.

I wasn't sure whether to post this in psychology or just drop it here, so I flipped a coin.

What follows might sound nonsensical, but a disturbing thought just hit me, and I doubt I'll be sleeping anytime soon. What if I am God? Or what if one of you is? I’m not talking about religion here. You can only experience the world through your own eyes; you can't truly step into someone else's shoes. You spend your whole life making assumptions about what might happen next. For instance, if I were to break into someone's House right now, would those people have "always" been there, or did they only begin to exist because I arrived?
It’s actually quite similar to that old riddle: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"...

What if only one of us actually exists? 😲
Take life, for example. To me, it feels like a continuous flow, right? But how can you ever truly know another person? Perhaps your brain is simply manifesting them based on your own perception. Or maybe there isn't even a brain—maybe you just "exist" in some abstract sense. Even everything we learn in school is built on logic, which means I can always argue that my theory is perfectly logical. Even when someone greets you on the street, you instinctively predict their behavior without being surprised. I hope someone gets where I'm coming from, because I'm not going to be able to sleep... Is it possible that everything is merely a byproduct of my own existence? Dammit, I'm confused and honestly a little spooked... It's that terrible feeling, like being lost in a book like *The Catcher in the Rye*...

Don't be afraid. The whole "tree falling in the woods" thing is settled. The outside world exists whether we acknowledge it or not.
Dr. House was a total hero tonight, proving once and for all that you can actually beat a hallucination. 👍

Gary James88 said:Don't be afraid. The whole "tree falling in the woods" thing is settled. The outside world exists whether we acknowledge it or not.
Dr. House was a total hero tonight, proving once and for all that you can actually beat a hallucination. 👍

That specific episode actually got me thinking.🙏

restlessfalcon5 said:That specific episode actually got me thinking.🙏

Maybe watch some CSI before bed then, just to clear your head and forget about that depressing Dr. House episode. Go get some sleep. 🙂

I might as well just crash in bed right now. All I need is for some character in a show to drop a heavy piece of moral philosophy on me, and then I’ll really start questioning everything...

And honestly, I probably need to go out and actually find a life first. 😳

restlessfalcon5 said:I might as well just crash in bed right now. All I need is for some character in a show to drop a heavy piece of moral philosophy on me, and then I’ll really start questioning everything...

And honestly, I probably need to go out and actually find a life first. 😳

Life eventually shows up... but you actually have to work for it. 🙂

Just finished that episode... interesting stuff. If you’re in the mood for some heavy philosophical deep dives, try tackling Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. I say TRY, because there are stretches where you’ll feel like the guy is just messing with a confused 🙂. Personally, I find his take on a priori versus a posteriori knowledge fascinating. It’s the idea that we can’t actually perceive things as they truly are—only as our own perception filters them.

Gary James88 said:Don't be afraid. The whole "tree falling in the woods" thing is settled. The outside world exists whether we acknowledge it or not.
Dr. House was a total hero tonight, proving once and for all that you can actually beat a hallucination. 👍

frigidnoscu?

Jeffrey Kim5 said:frigidnoscu?

Does everything have to be about sex with you?

Wasn't that song basically "I'm All Alone in the World"?

Douglas Flores6 said:Wasn't that song basically "I'm All Alone in the World"?

True, my bad. Reading that as a kid was pure horror for me.😳

Douglas Flores6 said:Wasn't that song basically "I'm All Alone in the World"?

I agree with that. Honestly, even if hundreds of people were dying in Iraq right now, I wouldn't care—I might even laugh at them. If there's a critique of it online, I'll check it out. I don't have anything better to do...

restlessfalcon5 said:True, my bad. Reading that as a kid was pure horror for me.😳

I agree with that. Honestly, even if hundreds of people were dying in Iraq right now, I wouldn't care—I might even laugh at them. If there's a critique of it online, I'll check it out. I don't have anything better to do...

It is quite fascinating how you can question whether a world exists beyond your own perception, yet you never seem to doubt the absolute truth of the news reported by the media. 😬

And how much of the news is actually true? I have no idea if a hundred people in Iraq really died today; I just snapped for no reason.

Gary James88 said:Don't be afraid. The whole "tree falling in the woods" thing is settled. The outside world exists whether we acknowledge it or not.
Dr. House was a total hero tonight, proving once and for all that you can actually beat a hallucination. 👍

🤔 Man, I totally missed that...

restlessfalcon5 said:I wasn't sure whether to post this in psychology or just drop it here, so I flipped a coin.

What follows might sound nonsensical, but a disturbing thought just hit me, and I doubt I'll be sleeping anytime soon. What if I am God? Or what if one of you is? I’m not talking about religion here. You can only experience the world through your own eyes; you can't truly step into someone else's shoes. You spend your whole life making assumptions about what might happen next. For instance, if I were to break into someone's House right now, would those people have "always" been there, or did they only begin to exist because I arrived?
It’s actually quite similar to that old riddle: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"...

What if only one of us actually exists? 😲
Take life, for example. To me, it feels like a continuous flow, right? But how can you ever truly know another person? Perhaps your brain is simply manifesting them based on your own perception. Or maybe there isn't even a brain—maybe you just "exist" in some abstract sense. Even everything we learn in school is built on logic, which means I can always argue that my theory is perfectly logical. Even when someone greets you on the street, you instinctively predict their behavior without being surprised. I hope someone gets where I'm coming from, because I'm not going to be able to sleep... Is it possible that everything is merely a byproduct of my own existence? Dammit, I'm confused and honestly a little spooked... It's that terrible feeling, like being lost in a book like *The Catcher in the Rye*...

A person is like a Russian nesting doll—you know, those clever little wooden trinkets—feeling like they contain a whole "God" within their own layers, all while remaining blissfully unaware that they themselves are tucked inside an even larger doll...

Quote : LNP20

restlessfalcon5 said:I wasn't sure whether to post this in psychology or just drop it here, so I flipped a coin.

What follows might sound nonsensical, but a disturbing thought just hit me, and I doubt I'll be sleeping anytime soon. What if I am God? Or what if one of you is? I’m not talking about religion here. You can only experience the world through your own eyes; you can't truly step into someone else's shoes. You spend your whole life making assumptions about what might happen next. For instance, if I were to break into someone's House right now, would those people have "always" been there, or did they only begin to exist because I arrived?
It’s actually quite similar to that old riddle: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"...

What if only one of us actually exists? 😲
Take life, for example. To me, it feels like a continuous flow, right? But how can you ever truly know another person? Perhaps your brain is simply manifesting them based on your own perception. Or maybe there isn't even a brain—maybe you just "exist" in some abstract sense. Even everything we learn in school is built on logic, which means I can always argue that my theory is perfectly logical. Even when someone greets you on the street, you instinctively predict their behavior without being surprised. I hope someone gets where I'm coming from, because I'm not going to be able to sleep... Is it possible that everything is merely a byproduct of my own existence? Dammit, I'm confused and honestly a little spooked... It's that terrible feeling, like being lost in a book like *The Catcher in the Rye*...

I happened to watch Waking Life a few months back, and I found it to be quite a fascinating piece of cinema. It delves deeply into those existential questions—the nature of reality and how one can truly discern whether we aren't simply caught in some sort of collective dream. It was a refreshing experience, really; unlike something like What Do We Know, which felt a bit heavy-handed, this film unfolds through a series of philosophical reflections shared by various characters that the protagonist encounters within his dreamscape. It was much more subtle, just a steady stream of thought and observation.

Quote : LNP20

Jonathan Brooks8 said:A person is like a Russian nesting doll—you know, those clever little wooden trinkets—feeling like they contain a whole "God" within their own layers, all while remaining blissfully unaware that they themselves are tucked inside an even larger doll...

🙂 I find myself quite taken with this... truly. 🙂
Just a quick side note—I’ve put that part in bold because nesting dolls are still very much a thing in our culture today. When I used the phrase "do you remember," it felt a bit like I was implying they had vanished into history, which isn't the case at all. 🙂

Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: I was watching the movie... a few months back.Waking Life watching.Interesting little film. It really dives into those deep questions about reality—like, how can we actually be sure we aren't just dreaming? Anyway, it avoids that pseudo-intellectual nonsense you get in movies like *What Do We Know*; instead, it’s more of a collection of reflections from various characters the protagonist encounters within his dream state.

Waking Life 😘

I watched it about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent film, though I can't say how it holds up under a more critical lens.
Whether you're looking at the depth of the philosophical themes or the specific subject matter regarding lucid dreaming, there's a lot to unpack.
If dreams serve as the very foundation of a conflict, what exactly can be extracted from them? Is there any substance worth salvaging once you peel back the layers?
There are a few interesting implications here that almost veer into radical territory.
It’s all about that sense of skepticism. There is this pervasive atmosphere where reality feels completely unmoored, mirroring that fluid, drifting quality you only find in a dream.
The animation distortion technique they used is particularly well-integrated, isn't it?
In reality, when we look at recorded events, they eventually become common knowledge to those who...
Just caught one of the more recent pieces from that same director, Richard Linklater.
Under the name A Scanner Darkly.

I remember how, after watching that film, I spent quite some time just... staring into space.
I've been diving deep into the world of lucid dreaming lately. Actually, I might have even had some success.
Taking flight on my own terms, more than a few times now. =)

Elizabeth Ruiz65 said:Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: I was watching the movie... a few months back.Waking Life watching.Interesting little film. It really dives into those deep questions about reality—like, how can we actually be sure we aren't just dreaming? Anyway, it avoids that pseudo-intellectual nonsense you get in movies like *What Do We Know*; instead, it’s more of a collection of reflections from various characters the protagonist encounters within his dream state.

Waking Life 😘

I watched it about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent film, though I can't say how it holds up under a more critical lens.
Whether you're looking at the depth of the philosophical themes or the specific subject matter regarding lucid dreaming, there's a lot to unpack.
If dreams serve as the very foundation of a conflict, what exactly can be extracted from them? Is there any substance worth salvaging once you peel back the layers?
There are a few interesting implications here that almost veer into radical territory.
It’s all about that sense of skepticism. There is this pervasive atmosphere where reality feels completely unmoored, mirroring that fluid, drifting quality you only find in a dream.
The animation distortion technique they used is particularly well-integrated, isn't it?
In reality, when we look at recorded events, they eventually become common knowledge to those who...
Just caught one of the more recent pieces from that same director, Richard Linklater.
Under the name A Scanner Darkly.

I remember how, after watching that film, I spent quite some time just... staring into space.
I've been diving deep into the world of lucid dreaming lately. Actually, I might have even had some success.
Taking flight on my own terms, more than a few times now. =)

That was actually just a typo... I meant "wake" and then I just added the suffix... anyway 😳 😳

Elizabeth Ruiz65 said:Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: I was watching the movie... a few months back.Waking Life watching.Interesting little film. It really dives into those deep questions about reality—like, how can we actually be sure we aren't just dreaming? Anyway, it avoids that pseudo-intellectual nonsense you get in movies like *What Do We Know*; instead, it’s more of a collection of reflections from various characters the protagonist encounters within his dream state.

Waking Life 😘

I watched it about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent film, though I can't say how it holds up under a more critical lens.
Whether you're looking at the depth of the philosophical themes or the specific subject matter regarding lucid dreaming, there's a lot to unpack.
If dreams serve as the very foundation of a conflict, what exactly can be extracted from them? Is there any substance worth salvaging once you peel back the layers?
There are a few interesting implications here that almost veer into radical territory.
It’s all about that sense of skepticism. There is this pervasive atmosphere where reality feels completely unmoored, mirroring that fluid, drifting quality you only find in a dream.
The animation distortion technique they used is particularly well-integrated, isn't it?
In reality, when we look at recorded events, they eventually become common knowledge to those who...
Just caught one of the more recent pieces from that same director, Richard Linklater.
Under the name A Scanner Darkly.

I remember how, after watching that film, I spent quite some time just... staring into space.
I've been diving deep into the world of lucid dreaming lately. Actually, I might have even had some success.
Taking flight on my own terms, more than a few times now. =)

I felt the exact same way... the philosophical themes, the lucid dreaming, and that blurring of the lines between dreams and reality... by the end, you genuinely find yourself questioning what is real and what isn't... everything feels like nothing more than a projection of the mind..😉

Elizabeth Ruiz65 said:Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: I was watching the movie... a few months back.Waking Life watching.Interesting little film. It really dives into those deep questions about reality—like, how can we actually be sure we aren't just dreaming? Anyway, it avoids that pseudo-intellectual nonsense you get in movies like *What Do We Know*; instead, it’s more of a collection of reflections from various characters the protagonist encounters within his dream state.

Waking Life 😘

I watched it about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent film, though I can't say how it holds up under a more critical lens.
Whether you're looking at the depth of the philosophical themes or the specific subject matter regarding lucid dreaming, there's a lot to unpack.
If dreams serve as the very foundation of a conflict, what exactly can be extracted from them? Is there any substance worth salvaging once you peel back the layers?
There are a few interesting implications here that almost veer into radical territory.
It’s all about that sense of skepticism. There is this pervasive atmosphere where reality feels completely unmoored, mirroring that fluid, drifting quality you only find in a dream.
The animation distortion technique they used is particularly well-integrated, isn't it?
In reality, when we look at recorded events, they eventually become common knowledge to those who...
Just caught one of the more recent pieces from that same director, Richard Linklater.
Under the name A Scanner Darkly.

I remember how, after watching that film, I spent quite some time just... staring into space.
I've been diving deep into the world of lucid dreaming lately. Actually, I might have even had some success.
Taking flight on my own terms, more than a few times now. =)

To be honest, I wasn't particularly fond of the fact that the film was animated at first... but by the end, I realized that the movie wouldn't have been even half as effective if it hadn't taken that specific form. It somehow amplifies that sense of losing touch with reality...

Elizabeth Ruiz65 said:Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: I was watching the movie... a few months back.Waking Life watching.Interesting little film. It really dives into those deep questions about reality—like, how can we actually be sure we aren't just dreaming? Anyway, it avoids that pseudo-intellectual nonsense you get in movies like *What Do We Know*; instead, it’s more of a collection of reflections from various characters the protagonist encounters within his dream state.

Waking Life 😘

I watched it about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent film, though I can't say how it holds up under a more critical lens.
Whether you're looking at the depth of the philosophical themes or the specific subject matter regarding lucid dreaming, there's a lot to unpack.
If dreams serve as the very foundation of a conflict, what exactly can be extracted from them? Is there any substance worth salvaging once you peel back the layers?
There are a few interesting implications here that almost veer into radical territory.
It’s all about that sense of skepticism. There is this pervasive atmosphere where reality feels completely unmoored, mirroring that fluid, drifting quality you only find in a dream.
The animation distortion technique they used is particularly well-integrated, isn't it?
In reality, when we look at recorded events, they eventually become common knowledge to those who...
Just caught one of the more recent pieces from that same director, Richard Linklater.
Under the name A Scanner Darkly.

I remember how, after watching that film, I spent quite some time just... staring into space.
I've been diving deep into the world of lucid dreaming lately. Actually, I might have even had some success.
Taking flight on my own terms, more than a few times now. =)

👋 👋 👋And yet, people insist that such a thing is simply impossible 🙄
I truly hope you haven't found yourself tangled up in any power lines, electrical wires, or dense tree canopies... 🙂

Quote : LNP20

Jessica Scott5 Asks: That was just a typo—I started typing "wake" and then decided to finish the thought. Anyway. 😳 😳

Well, I understood all of that perfectly fine; I just took the opportunity to...
I’m going to use that icon =) shamelessly.

Quote : LNP20

I felt the same way about it. You’ve got that heavy philosophical undertone mixed with lucid dreaming, and that whole blurring of the lines between what’s real and what isn't. By the end, you’re left questioning everything—is any of this actually happening, or is it all just a projection of the mind? 😉

Ever since I finished watching, my head has been spinning with all these new ideas. It’s like... what if?
Why is it that our dreams—those moments where everything feels like it stretches on for hours in a single blink—seem to defy the actual passage of time?
I won't even say it's been days; if we’re actually measuring this by our standard earthly time, it’s been...
They play out in just a few seconds, sometimes stretching into a couple of minutes, yet they never truly offer anything substantial.
Is it possible that our entire lifespan actually spans seventy, eighty, or even ninety plus years?
Maybe just a few seconds or minutes of sleep is all it takes to make us feel like outsiders looking in.
Is the entire framework flawed? What we consider death would only represent...
Waking up from a dream—is it just a sudden spike in adrenaline, a random glitch in the system, or maybe just a conscious choice?
Our dreams always end up pulling us right back into this reality. I even had a dream the other day that...
I came across this somewhat oddly shaped pool sitting right in front of me.
So, I had this dream where some voice just casually informed me that I was swimming in a pool of dreams. Totally spontaneous.
I dove headfirst into it, only to find myself suddenly paralyzed.
Sinking toward the bottom, suffocating, haunted by the memory of my own attempt.
Surging out of physical lethargy just to find some kind of footing. That's when...
That voice started up again, telling me I should just let go, since apparently that's what's necessary.
Surrender yourself to the current if you ever want to reach the shore. It was at that exact moment that I felt completely overwhelmed.
There was this strange sense of peace, a certain stillness, even as I felt myself slowly drowning in that water.
I remember that pitch-black void and the suddenness of waking up the next moment—just as calm and composed as everything else.

Sigmund Freud would probably argue that a dream pool is just a manifestation of some unconscious desire.
My very being seems to drift toward this metaphorical longing—a desire to sink into something that isn't exactly overwhelming, yet still feels like enough.
Is it about those damp, dark depths, or just some primal urge to crawl back into the womb? 🤣

At the end of the day, I can't help but feel like we don't give our dreams nearly enough credit.
They really ought to take them into account, rather than just taking them for granted without even knowing they exist.
We're almost at the point where we can just say "hello." =)

Quote : LNP20

I’ll be honest, I wasn't exactly sold on the animation at first. It felt like a hurdle. But by the time the credits rolled, it hit me that the movie wouldn't have functioned half as well if it hadn't been done this way. That specific medium really amplifies that sense of losing your grip on reality, doesn't it? It just works.

It feels like he’s just leaning into that sensation you mentioned—those slippery, shifting identities.
Shape-shifting, a complete lack of empirical grounding, and pure extravagance.
Color and experience—there's just this total lack of fixed meaning at any level. And yet, what?
The most fascinating part is how an individual interacts with their surroundings while in a state
of wakefulness, which explains why we aren't constantly shocked by the reality of things.

So, if we judge by the mechanics of dreaming, does that mean a significant portion
of human—and perhaps other species'—existence has been somewhat postmodern since ancient times? =)

👋 👋 👋 and people claim that isn't possible 🙄
I hope you haven't gotten yourself tangled up in any power lines or tree branches... 🙂

People certainly love to talk. It just occurred to me how people in the
Middle Ages used to claim that at the edges of the "world" maps back then
which were grotesque enough as it is, there actually lived monopeds
(people who walked on a single leg) and others with faces located on their stomachs 😁

Anyway, here is an interesting page that offers a more detailed look into the
phenomenon of lucid dreaming:

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#LIQ

You should also Google the name "Steven LaBerge," a psychophysiologist and
the founder of the Lucidity Institute and one of the leading figures in this
field of research. He teaches techniques on how to achieve this, and according to him,
he personally managed to have four lucid dreams in a single night.
Here is an interview with him that I found particularly interesting:

http://www.futurehi.net/docs/Laberge_WakingDreamer.html

Look, I’ll stick to the threads where I actually show up—those are interesting enough and I can actually weigh in on them... everything else, including this one, feels like an empty bottle of Coke to me.