Having finished the book I mentioned earlier, Dreamland: Adventures in The Strange Science of Sleep by Randall, I’m left feeling a bit bereft. Disappointed by the lack of new information and oddly amused by the things that weren’t mentioned. It’s mostly my own fault, I admit. My expectations were out of proportion. 

It is a sign of my imaginative personality and psychological makeup that I find value in dreams. Dreams are not an evolutionary artifact, a vestigial remnant of some unknown process our brains have outgrown. Dreams are mysterious, and for the most part, uncontrollable–the very reason science dismisses them. They are not quantifiable. They appear out of the mists of unconscious thought and return to the deepest dark, all unbidden. 

For all the knowledge we have gained, for all the strides science has made, we do not understand the true nature or purpose of dreams. We can only surmise and dismiss. It is human nature to deride what we cannot explain or understand. In the increasingly specialized and highly compartmentalized world in which we live, it seems there is very little mystery left. And for most, there is not even room for that small remnant.

But for all that we know, and all that we believe we can explain, there remains a great deal beyond our reach and understanding. Dreams remain one of those inexplicable things. And that suits me just fine. For without the journey into the unknown, without the mysteries and the dreams, creativity would cease. For what is creativity but the exploration of these places, dark and unfathomable recesses full of potentialities and possibilities. 

Last week I read Dr. Aboujaoude’s book.  It was interesting, easy to follow but very disturbing.  If you think that an e-personality is something only virtual gamers have–guess again.  According to Dr. Aboujaoude, if you’re using technology that in any way depends on the Internet, you have one.  Even if all you do is email, you have an e-personality.  Or if you only text on your cell phone.  The more involved you become online, the more likely your e-personality is quite different from your real personality.

This book warns about the ways our psychologies are changed.  Some of them seem inconsequential.  Others are glaringly detrimental.  The Internet is not going away.  And while many good things come about because of the connectedness the Internet provides at near instantaneous speeds,  there are down sides. 
The anonymity of online interactions brings out the worst in people–everything from rudeness and name calling to lying and cheating.  Emoticons and texting have created the assumption that abbreviations and incomplete sentences are acceptable forms of communication.  An overload of trivial information leaves us feeling knowledgeable about everything when it’s much more likely that we know a tiny bit about a lot of things and nothing of great substance about any one thing.  The implications of all of this is far reaching and worth some thought.

Of course, our fast paced lives, lived at break neck speed thanks to the ubiquitous online umbilical cord, leave us very little time for thought.  Turning it off is a start.  Set aside time every day where the computer is off limits, the cell phone is actually off and do things in your very real life.  Think, play, have a conversation with a friend face to face.  Remember when your parents used to tell you to “Go outside!  Play!”  Well, that’s my advice.  Go outside your electronic house and play!  Live and enjoy your real life.