For so long, people across the world have argued the purpose of dreams. Some believe dreams are nothing more than random imaginations that translates into short movies once we fall into deep sleep. Others are convinced that dreams exist to pass a message to us or through us. I used to sit comfortably with the first group, but over time, I have found myself leaning toward the second.
I believe my dreams take inspiration from the things I occupy my mind with every day. They also feel like fragments of my past or short memoirs of the life I wish I had already lived. And somehow, this belief aligns with the reality of most of my dreams.
There are nights I go to bed with so much anxiety or fear after witnessing a ghastly motor accident on the highway or hearing a bad news about someone close to me. There are also nights where I fall asleep with my heart carrying the kind of happiness that feels too full for my chest. When I compare the dreams from each of these nights, the difference is clear. They seem to mirror the emotion I fell asleep with, almost like a script engineered by my own reality.
In all of these, one thing remains constant: I forget most of my dreams in split seconds. I could wake up from a clear dream right now and twenty minutes later, the details are gone. What fascinates me the most is how curious I always am to know the full content of these dreams. That curiosity alone is enough reason for me to wish I could get transported to a world where I have the privilege to record and rewatch them.
Life is already full of surprises and chaos, so being able to rewatch my dreams might make all the difference. On the days when life feels boring, I wouldn't mind watching scenes of myself shrieking in fear in some hospital mortuary filled with dead bodies. I imagine it would not feel as terrifying as it does in real time. And maybe hearing my late brother’s voice from a dream would not break me as much as I imagine, especially now that I can barely remember what his voice sounded like.
Maybe pressing play on an old dream where my face lights up at the sound of my grandmother calling me in my native language would bring more smiles than tears. Maybe watching myself do the happy dance in the direction of the aroma leading to my late aunty's kitchen would make me laugh harder than I expect.
But there is also the painful side of being in a world that allows our dreams to be replayed. I know for a fact, that watching scenes where I lose people I still love will cut me deeply. Watching myself struggle to save my family from danger may shake me enough to forget it is only a replay. Even worse, I might find myself cursing the world if I ever watch dreams where I work for years to build a better life only to end up scrambling for crumbs.
Still, these are events I have accepted as part of our every day life. They are things I know I will face in one form or another, whether now or in the future. So I might as well watch the clips the way I would watch a 3D movie at the cinema. I believe the anxiety and fear may last for a while, but the joy I would feel from rewatching the lovely parts of my dreams might just stay with me for a much longer time.
Most importantly, If I ever enter a world where dreams can be recorded and replayed, I hope I also get to see the parts that reflect my present life. I hope there's a remote control on the table that lets me fast forward to the dreams where I am genuinely happy with my life and with the friends I have now. And more than anything, I hope that if such a world exists, I can plead for the chance to turn some of my dreams into reality.
This is a response to the Sci-fi prompt.
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