Lucid Dreaming and Video Games
Let me tell you all a story. Last year ago around May, I had a sudden urge to take on a new hobby. But, I wanted to pursue something unique. I wanted a hobby that not many people do.
I wanted to control my dreams (aka: lucid dream).
So, I did what any rational person would do. I sat down, I looked up every YouTube video on lucid dreaming, and I absorbed as much knowledge as possible. I bought a book on Amazon all about lucid dreaming, too.
For a whole summer, I did two things: I worked at Chick-fil-A and I practiced lucid dreaming. I trained almost every. single. day. I can’t tell you how many hours I put into practicing lucid dreaming.
I wrote down all of my dreams, I did these things called “reality checks” (techniques to tell if you’re in a dream or not), and spent everyday thinking about lucid dreaming.
When night would come, I would eventually fall asleep with one goal in mind: enter a lucid dream.
The first night came — nothing. Second night — nothing. For almost a month, nothing came.
I honestly wondered if I was going crazy. “Am I becoming one of those psychos who relies on pseudo science? Why am I becoming so obsessed with lucid dreaming?” But, I knew it was real because there was actual peer-reviewed science to back me up.
But, with my self-obsessed desire to enter a lucid dreaming, I asked myself why I wanted to do it? Well, that truth sank in pretty quickly.
Lucid dreaming provides an escape. The ability to be in a world that doesn’t exist and do whatever you want. Fly? Go ahead. Enter space? Why not. Anything you want is your desire. Not only, but its so vivid and feels eerily similar to real life.
Funny enough, video games have a similar side to this. I can pick up a game like Hitman. A game where I can pretend to be an assassin and kill the boss of a multimillion dollar drug operation. Or look at Skyrim. I can be in a fantasy world where I can explore a large nation with different cultures and races. I can make new friends, or kill them. I can become the leader of a thieves’ guild, and I can destroy and absorb the souls of dragons who dare approach me.
The point is, video games, just like lucid dreaming, allow you to explore a world that isn’t on Earth. And well, that’s very appealing. In a world where the Capital of the US has been attacked, the foundation of democracy seems to be cracking under pressure, and violence is on a surge, its very easy to want to find escapes.
To some extent, there’s nothing wrong with escapes. Taking a break from reality allows you to have a breather. A time where you can take an hour or so away from the world to do something you enjoy. It could be art, it could be sports. But, where the danger comes in is when you wished you lived in a world that isn’t Earth.
So, what’s the best way to combat something like this? I believe its so important to find contentment. Its very hard to find happiness in this crazy world, but a good start is naming things you’re grateful for. The first two things I think of are my family and friends. These two things are what give me meaning in a world that is ravaged in chaos.
I bet you’re wondering, “But, what about lucid dreams? Did you manage to break through the dream world and become conscious in it?”
Well, yeah. I did — twice. And, to be honest, it was both an overwhelming AND underwhelming experience. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it was amazing. It took a whole summer, but I was finally able to have my own lucid dreams.
It didn’t last that long (only about 30 seconds). I couldn’t fly, or create massive landscapes, or do anything crazy. But, that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I was able to be conscious in my own dream. I was content. I was able to succeed in doing something that I was proud of doing.
So, what about you? Where do you find contentment?
