Of Dreaming and Death

By: Andrew Sakach

Topic of Choice: 3

In the movie Blackrobe the Indian group he was with believed that dreams and combat are more real than the life we live normally. These concepts interested me very much.

Dreaming is something everyone does but most people pay very little attention to. However other cultures across the world believe that it is something important and that we should listen to our dreams, or follow our dreams. Though it's hard to do these things within a society that pays them no attention because even if you wanted to learn about dreams it is hard to find people who know about such things. While literature may be abundant on the subject it is hard to find out what is true or what is just made up mumbo jumbo in order to sell.

The combat part was even more interesting to me because I do martial arts. While I have never been in a situation where my life was on the line or threatened in any way, once you've been fighting enough you start to experience a complete synchronizing of the self and the moment. You gain absolute clarity because without it, you get punched in the face, and at worse you die. Maybe it's because fighting was a necessity sometimes and having good warriors increased your groups chance for survival I believe it is also possible to attain such clarity of mind and being while doing any task. Though it's not of paramount importance when doing so you may be able to become so absorbed into what you are doing, such as basket weaving or running that you get lost in it. I think this is what the Indians meant by being more real than everyday life. It's cool ^.^