A question ive been thinking for the longest time

[Spiritsword]

Eh, this has kind of touched on both an area of interest of mine and my greatest fear, so I'll try not to talk too much.

As far as sleeping forever goes, I think at any point along the way during a dream you might gain some awareness, and might perhaps have a vague sense of continuity, as I have become aware during dreams and in fact remembered other dreams I had previously or things I "learned" in previous dreams. But I think at other times you would slip out of the continuity of being as you would have less lucid (aware) dreams). The sleep part would be just like sleep every night, basically nonmemorable if a state of awareness at all. I think it would be generally like little blips of awareness, tiny limited existences rather than one long nothingness or awareness, with a possible realization every so often. So if you came to an awareness of yourself dreaming, could you lear to gain some control over it, or begin to establish a continuity of existence? Perhaps, and if so that could change the nature of the dream state.

As for nothingness/nonexistence, it is my single greatest fear. In fact, it's so much a fear that it makes me struggle with doubt about the afterlife in my Christian life with God, because I keep asking, "what if...?" That is, "What if I *end*?" My whole existence is based on awareness, so the prospect of an eternal end to awareness, ceasing to exist, frightens me more than anything else. Unfortunately, most people don't understand my fear so I usually don't get much empathy.

And some of this talk brings me to the question of "what is eternity really like?" but I'll save that for another time and thread.

[Rue Shibusky]

Maybe you'll become able to master sleep walking and such...

[Mr. SmartyPants]

okay! what if... you DIDN'T dream? But you were like... asleep (like with anesthesia) or something and would never die. Would never run out of stuff your body needs. All purely hypothetical. A neverending coma

[VioletEyedCat]

Then I suppose we would be delving into Spiritsword's greatest fear (mine too, by the way). Even though we would still exist, it would be as if we were not existing- for we are not aware of our own existance. We would not be aware- period. And what kind of existance is one where you don't know you're alive? Reminds me of the proverbial tree in the woods- does it really make a sound when it falls if no one's there to hear it? Do we really exist if our minds are not in a state to realize it?

[Fsiphskilm]

what if heav

[John316]

Assuming you had no conscious thought (no dreaming) during this sleep, it would be the closest approximation of eternal death given our Christian belief framework. If such a state of being were possible, we would unfortunately not be covered by God's salvation, and never be able to enter heaven, since that occurs only after we die. An interesting concept, but purely academic, since the prerequisite conditions are quite impossible.

[Kisa]

Prob just wake up after a dream or something and never notice....

[Arbre]

what if heaven was like that. A giant place filled with Gooy Slinmy Pods where Our Souls are asleep and we are connected to a mass server that we know as "the real world" and when we die we just wake up, angels help out of our goopy pods and we face judgement o_0?

<<God created the earth and the heavens in 6 days<<
... created? or Programed?

Just kidding guys. I just woke up, gettin those creative juices flowing for calculs class later today.

Did you think of that before or after watching The Matrix?


MSP, the whole idea seems like you'd exist, kinda, but if you aren't aware of it, what makes up "you" isn't really existing.

[Noodles]

This is an odd subject and to tell you the truth it is really unknown since. The only real points you remember is a little bit before you fall asleep, Maybe a dream or two depending on if you are aware of it or not, and after you wake up. It is really unknown how you feel during this time because we could go through something but our minds won't remember it.

And some of this talk brings me to the question of "what is eternity really like?" but I'll save that for another time and thread.

I imagine a lot of chairs.....

Really, my thoughts are that we are there and aware of where we are but we have no emotions, sense of time, etc.. If there were chairs we would be just sitting there and we could get up and do something but because of being in heaven and the human burdens being lifted off of us we have no need to. Just think of you doing nothing but not really caring. It may not sound fun but once your there you won't notice a thing.

Its just a thought....... so please don't kill me if you think differently

[Mr. SmartyPants]

i think my head is about to explode

[Arbre]

Really, my thoughts are that we are there and aware of where we are but we have no emotions, sense of time, etc.. If there were chairs we would be just sitting there and we could get up and do something but because of being in heaven and the human burdens being lifted off of us we have no need to. Just think of you doing nothing but not really caring. It may not sound fun but once your there you won't notice a thing.

Its just a thought....... so please don't kill me if you think differently

I'm not going to kill you. o_O

But that seems pointless... not to mention depressing. I guess I just don't see the point in God giving us emotions (the ability to feel joy and gratitude and sorrow), the experiences that teach self discipline, the opportunities for development of compassion and selflessness, then do away with it all forever. There has to be *something* more than just existing to exist. =/

I don't know what Heaven will be like, but the kind of existence that you described frightens me. A lack of emotion isn't necessarily peace. A lack of pain isn't necessarily joy. A lack of physical tasks isn't necessarily rest. I'd be willing to experience pain ever now and then just so I don't forget why I'm grateful to be free of it.

Whatever Heaven's like, that's how it is and it must be best, but I hope that there's more to it than being an emotionally dead person, surrounded by other emotionally dead people, forever. I want to feel joy with being with God, not just have an intellectual acceptance of the situation.

[Fsiphskilm]

Wait are we talking a

[faithfighter]

Weird question!!
You would dream. Because we always dream, but some times you don't remember them when you wake up if you were in a deep sleep, so would you know if you were dream if you never woke up??????

[IZ&Trigun4life]

I wouldnt know I dont sleep to begin with.

[Felix]

[quote="Kaori"]The figure that I have heard is 90 minutes for each sleep cycle, although I believe that is only an approximate number. During each cycle, you experience stages of light sleep, deep sleep, and REM, with anywhere from four to seven sleep cycles per night. People often tend to sleep in hour-and-a-half increments]
Yep. That's exactly what I was trying to think of!

And I have had those times where you're not fully asleep...but not fully awake either. You have some degree of consciecness yet you are still unable to control your body. It's like your mind is working at high speed all night long.

Back to the original question. I have a hypothesis that dreams are merely a type of alternate reality that your mind creates as a place for your consciesness (Spelling?) to escape to as your body sleeps. That's why things in your dreams usually relate to or are about places and things that you have done and been to recently and are thinking about. And people that you know are usually in your dreams as well.
I suppose that if one were to dream forever that they would dwell in the alternate reality of their dream forever...not following time's guidelines. They may flip to a new dream (or reality) now and again as per real life...but I'm not sure. (All of this is purely hypothetical) That's how I feel, anyway.