The Mighty Mind And Its Lofty Tricks
The nights when the mind is on wheels
Like any typical night, I scrolled through the social media apps on my phone; exhausted, I set the alarm for the morning and dozed off.
Feeling thirsty in the middle of the night, I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator for water.
“Oh my God,” I screamed as I gazed at the view in front of my eyes.
I stood rooted to the spot as my eyes took a tour of the mouth-watering sight. The refrigerator was packed with cookies, cakes, and exotic fruits. My eyes twinkled as the bright yellow mangoes shined from far behind; unable to resist, I quickly jumped inside to grab one of them.
Beep Beep Beep Beep
The alarm rang. I woke up but kept my eyes closed.
“Damn! Not again,” I yelled in my head.
It was not the first time I saw food in my dreams.
Dreams fascinate me. They tickle my thinking nerves. Why do we see what we see? I wonder if they want to convey something. Besides, why do we often end up in strange places in mysterious ways? Once I saw myself climbing up a tree in distress as the dogs behind tried to catch hold of my leg. Phew! I could only do that in my dreams, not to mention the umpteen number of times I have been chased and hit by beings we broadly refer to as animals.
According to scientists, we dream during the Random Eye Movement (REM) phase of our sleep. During this phase, the eye tends to rush in different directions, and the brain is in its most active state, causing us to dream. All of this happens inside our heads, which is why dreams are hard to study. However, experts who study the human mind have developed theories that explain their causes and possible interpretations. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, was one of them. According to him:
“The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.”
In his Theory of Dreams, Freud says that dreams expose our unconscious desires, beliefs, and motivations. He suggests they are a medium for our suppressed emotions and longings to find their way to our knowledge. In his book called ‘Interpretation of Dreams,’ he explains them as:
“disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes.”
Many researchers condemn his theory, while a few acknowledge a connection between one’s unfulfilled desires and the dreams one sees.
But really, are they for real? Do dreams come true?
Renowned chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who formulated the Periodic Law and the Periodic table of elements was exhausted from months of trying to classify the 56 elements when he decided to sleep. In his diary, he writes:
“I saw in a dream a table where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper,”
Another fun fact — Christopher Nolan conceptualized the movie ‘Inception,’ taking inspiration from his lucid dreams.
Dreams are tricky to interpret. Regardless of that, we are free to view them through the lens of our choice. They could be a manifestation of our fears, apprehensions, desires, or just random imagery. We decide.
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