Living in a dream: pros and cons

[arftbmrf 40]

I wouldn't mind to hear other people's opinion. Let's just assume that, say, Jane Doe decided that she needs something that will help her not to go insane/slipping into depression/becoming an alcoholic. And, with putting enough thoughts into possible options, she decided to make her own place, where she could live. In a spiritual meaning. You know the concept of tulpa, right? Well, I'm talking about something along those lines, but without hypnosis/mind break and with the whole world, instead of one person.

So, the question is -- what pros and cons from 'living' in her perfect world, Jane will experience? Assuming that she would care less and less about reality, when comparing it to her world.

[Kerberossz 1,929]

In my opinion, people should have something to make them peaceful. For example this "perfect word" can be a sanctuary for those who seek composure, can clear their minds and forget the problems. Now, forgetting problems is not something that should have quotidian. If you don't care about the problems at all you have, well, they will mop up you someday. People should understand, this isn't the way to solve problems, but can provide temporary ease.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Kerberossz

[gamecubeguy214 2,512]

Pros: Everything you think of will become a reality, making it possible for whatever you want to happen. Not having chores, making free money appear, you have pretty much the power of Discord.

Cons: Everything you think of will become a reality, so bad thing may happen. If you think of how much you loved the Weirdmageddon episodes, Weirdmageddon will happen.

[RirePink 30]

Personally, for me:

 

   Pros: Living in a dream makes me happy, it's the only reason I keep doing whatever I do in reality. This is my sense of life: to live in a dream and slowly but surely accomplish my dreams in reality.

            It makes me believe in something beautiful - like the existence of parallel universe, it is possible isn't it?

            It is a small hope for something of your dreamworld to happen in real world.

            Sometimes, the border between the reality and dreamworld becomes transparent, and you can't understand what is reality and what is dreamworld. Maybe, the reality is dreamworld, and dreamworld is reality. And all of this is just a dream/

   Cons: If I won't accomplish my dreams in reality, I will lose my mind and become depressive.

             I get too withdrawn and eventually I get depressive, because I realize that this is not real, and it won't be.

             Living in a dream is lying to yourself - it probably won't have a happy ending.

[Oblivion 20,266]

Sometimes I do wish that I could live in an lucid dream, it would truly be nice to be able to control what happens around me, get me a dream girl and live happily ever after without real world drama, stuff just not working out and all the stress....I guess their is a pill that you can take that will make you sleep for like a couple days and in the dream world would feel like a hunfred years or something, man sometimes I wish, though stuff like that can have serious consequences such as getting out of the dream like state and killing yourself because you already experienced a whole life in the sleep world therefore you have nothing more to live for when you wake up....I dunno, dreams to me just seem SO interesting and I wish I could better control the way my dreams go so I could truly be happy at least when I'm asleep.   

[HereComesTom 2,267]

Sounds like constructing a dream world for yourself sounds like a symptom of insanity---you pretend so you don't have to face reality.

 

Like Kerberossz said, reality will inevitably bite the dreamer in the end.  Besides, on some level, the dreamer would know what they've constructed isn't real, and that will lead to either deeper and deeper self-deception until they can't tell reality from fantasy, or it'll lead to cognitive dissonance being couched in the dreamer's thought processes to the point where it'll be difficult to function in reality if they ever decide to do so later.

 

That being said, if reality is already screwed up and is unfixable no matter what the dreamer does---what is there to lose?

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

I think everyone has their way of coping, if that is "living" in a dream then they should be free to do as they like. However, from my perspective the pros of it are well as it's a dream everything would be near perfect so obviously the pros are endless.

The cons however are that "near perfect" will end up becoming a nightmare. Or it would become so, if you're stuck in it. Now as much as I'd like to simply live in a dream, I'd imagine it becoming just like the waking. Similar to the movie Inception, you'd suddenly forget you were dreaming and it would become just like the one you are in when you're awake. Even though that would be the case I'm often unsure of what is dream or real. What is "real", though many could tell their definitions, it is an interesting question.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

If what said Jane Doe is doing renders her comparatively happy or even prevents her from doing things that might cause her harm, who the hell am I to judge?  I'm assuming that, in this scenario, she isn't somehow harming anyone else in the process.  I don't know her personal responsibilities.  I don't know who might depend upon her.  I just know what I've been told in this topic.  For all I know, Jane's method might enable her to better function in her life.

 

Reality is subjective in an infinite number of minute ways, and the worlds of dream and waking are not impenetrably separate.  Or strictly separate at all.  If anything, dream - or imagination - is absolutely vital in our everyday lives.  Creativity, moments of inspiration, emotional balance, abstract thinking, and even problem solving are things that can come of opening more than merely your eyes.  Scolding one for "going to their happy place" is something akin to chastising a child for daydreaming.  If no imminent or immediate harm is involved, go about your business.