Dreams

I just finished a Japanese lesson which involved me reading an article about dreams, and got my mind running. I've long had a lot of thoughts and opinions about dreams, and as it turns out, I've also had a lot of dreams as well, perhaps more than many others have. I should probably write as much as I can now while the thoughts are still there and before, like so many of the dreams I've had, all is forgotten.

Among the things mentioned in the article were a few I had heard before: we only dream at the "Rapid Eye Movement" (REM) State when we are in the deepest point of our sleep; it is not at all uncommon to have several dreams in one night; we remember very few of our dreams because, unless we awaken shortly after we have them (about 8 minutes after the dream concludes), we aren't likely to remember them. There were a few things I didn't know as well that I read in the article. One was that people who aren't very stressed out have a tendency to have more dreams, while those who don't worry quite as much don't tend to have them quite as much either. It makes a bit of sense when you think about it; the more stressing reality is to a person, the more likely they are to seek escapism, and in sleep I suppose that option is to dream.

It does strike me how often I have them. I suppose this all means that I'm a bit of a stressed out person when it comes down to it. I asked my language partner if she had many dreams and she said, "No, not really. I don't really worry about things much either, so I think that I generally just sleep easily and dreamlessly."

I'm left thinking of another quote from the book "Shantaram". In it, one of the characters said to another that we really don't feel sad when we're asleep; we might feel happy or even frightened, but never really sad. Though I cannot speak for others, I would have to say this is true for myself. At the saddest points in my life, I've often felt like wanting nothing more than for the day to end and simply to rest. I wonder sometimes if we have to be awake to be sad, if it takes consciousness or awareness to realize that things aren't going right for us in life and thus formulate the feelings of sorrow. I also sometimes wonder if sadness is linked to intelligence, that we have to be smart enough to know things are bad and that again our knowledge can sometimes only bring misery. For this reason I also wonder if animals, who are conscious only to a certain extent though perhaps not entirely aware of their existence and surroundings, can truly feel sad either (they certainly seem to have happiness, anger, and fear in them though I'm not sure about actual sadness).

I think that dreams are more or less your mind making vivdly real the random thoughts that swim around in our heads. Over the course of the day we find our minds wandering all over the place, thinking of other places and hypothetical situations. Even when we sleep we don't stop thinking. When we dream, we don't have our consciousness to ground ourselves in reality, and those hypothetical places and situations become real to us as we do so. The logic doesn't make sense, because people in dreams don't act as we do in real life, their actions are as random as any of us changing our minds or having a new thought enter our head. The scenery in a dream has us hopping from place to place, because no sooner do we think of a new one than we are transported there. Sometimes we dream of places we've been but the layout or geography is weird, slightly different than reality because our mind makes it imperfect. Sometimes in dreams, the way to get back where we came from disappears on us.

Though I've never felt sad in a dream, another conclusion I've recently to come to towards the ones I've had is that they tend to leave me feeling a little unsettled. I sometimes think that perhaps I ground my thoughts a bit much in logic or understanding while I am awake, and because I can never seem to understand what is going on or why things are happening as they do while in a dream, I think it leaves me a bit unnerved. I do think it's interesting to try and interpret your own dreams and try to use them figure out your own thought processes. While I certainly cannot disprove it, however, I don't know how much stock I put in the ideas that we can see the future in them or the people who say this.

I once lost my phone and spent half the night looking for it before getting too tired to continue and having to go to sleep. I dreamt I found it in certain a place I hadn't looked and the next day, when I did so was surprised to find it there. A situation like this, however, simply makes me think that I must've still been pondering where I could've lost it when I went to bed -especially after searching so extensively the night before and having it weigh so heavily on my thoughts- and that I simply remembered a place I might've left it while I was asleep rather than awake. Because I was asleep when I did so, I think that it simply became incorperated into my dream. The mind is a funny thing in the end, and I find it interesting the different ways it will manifest external factors into our dreams. I've heard music in my dreams only to wake up to that music playing in real life. I've heard voices calling me in my dreams only to find it was whoever was trying to awaken me. I've used the bathroom countless times in dreams only to be left wondering why I still have to go, until the realization hits me that I'm in a dream and need to wake up and make a visit to a real toilet. In trying to interpret our dreams we can understand more not only about the inner thought processes of our minds, but the external factors in our lives as well and how we feel deep down inside about them.

I remember watching a movie called "Unsung Heroes" when I was younger where one of the main characters was telling the child in the story about his dreams. He was showing him a book, which he said was a record of the dreams he'd had. Kind of a quirky character, he had realized how fast and easily we forget our dreams and so, he said, that every time he woke up from a dream he would quickly run to write it down or draw a picture of it so he wouldn't forget. There are very few of my own which I can remember, but I thought I'd write a few down, some of the more vivid ones just for the hell of it. I woke up very shortly after each of them leaving a fresh impression in my head, though I remember each for very different reasons as well.

I only heard the term "lucid dream" recently while talking with some friends, though I realize I've had several over the course my life. It simply means a dream in which you realize that you are in one, change your behavior, and sometimes even are able to control it to some extent or other. I had one once where I was falling to the bottom a very large canyon. It looked a lot like the Grand Canyon -which I had seen when I was very young- and I think it was my memory of that place which inspired it all. Midway through falling, however, I somehow came to the realization that I was dreaming. Something about the whole thing just felt off, unreal, and for whatever reason I just sort of understood that I was still asleep. I was able to control it somewhat then, to keep myself from falling; the wind blew heavily and it was as if I was now falling forward instead of down. Gradually I drifted away and eventually out of sleep, only to find myself dangling halfway off the top bunk of the bed I was then sharing with my little brother at that point in my childhood.

I haven't had many nightmares at all when I think about it. My parents did their best to keep horror movies away from me and my brother and sister when we were younger which might have played a part in all of this. The worst nightmare I ever had actually occurred when I was just a year into high school. I had a friend at that time who was in a gang and constantly telling exaggerated stories about things he and his friends had done, though nothing to the extent which I saw that night. I think that a few mafia movies and extremely violent video games I'd watched recently -and the fact that I'd also gotten stoned pretty recently leaving my mind wide open to a childlike imagination- probably had more to do with it all. In the nightmare I had, my friend killed a person who mouthed off to him. I remeber that I felt very shocked and horrified, and then for some reason, everything around me just melted away and I was in a warehouse full of body parts stuffed into garbage bags and steel oil drums, a killing factory of sorts. I was surrounded by the carnage, and I don't know why, but I just somehow understood that a bunch of gangsters had done this, human beings mutilating other human beings. I remember shivering not simply from fear, but also because the air around me felt unnaturally cold, damp, and clammy. I awoke so shaken that I couldn't fall back to sleep, couldn't move out of my bed for fear, and so just lay awake there until, after some time had passed, I finally calmed down. It's strange how when we first regain consciousness, there's a lull between, where we're half asleep and sometimes don't realize it was all just a dream and still believe it to be real. Though I'd seen characters in movies and TV shows waking up in cold sweats scared out their wits from nightmares, I'd never actually understood this feeling until then, and to some extent had thought it was simply theatrics. Can only imagine what it must be like for those who really live through wars and true horrors to dream about it later.

The last dream I can really remember vividly was one where I was more or less living out a pulp noir western of sorts. My brother and I went looking for some people (can't remember why exactly) and we found them in some abandoned village in steep, rocky canyon. I remember it looking a lot like an old western ghost town, except the buildings where made of stone like ancient ruins. When we got there, we found the people we were looking for, only to find they weren't willing to come with us. We argued with them briefly before one of them looked out the window and simply said something like: "They've come for us." I remember looking out the window to see a group of men wearing hats and long, gray dusters just arriving into the town. One of them had on a long black coat and a black hat instead as well as a long, dark rifle slung over his back and seemed to be leading them. It felt a lot like being in a movie. I think I remember this dream mostly because it was right at this moment, just as it was getting interesting, that I was awakened by an alarm and reminded that I needed to get up and go to school. I also remember quickly making a futile attempt to go back to sleep, wanting to see what would happen. There was no such luck, though, apparently you can't exactly return to your dreams like a scene on a DVD whenever you want to once you've woken up. I've never had a recurring dream, but if ever there was one I wish I could have this would've been it. How disappointing, it's like never getting to see the conclusion to something you started watching but were very intereted in. Then again though, they are just dreams. Most are destined to be forgotten and each time it happens, it's almost like a small miracle that some even get remembered at all...

PlanetES

Review: PlanetES (Anime Series)


I recently had a chance to revisit the anime series "PlanetES" which I watched for the first time a few years back with room-mates from my old guesthouse. I began re-watching it last year with a room-mate at my current guesthouse, only to stop for a long period of time, and then quickly restart again when we both realized I would soon have to move out again and had better finish it before the chance passed.

I don't watch as much anime as I used to, and usually when I do nowadays it tends to be movies that will at least wrap themselves up somewhat cleanly within a couple of hours. Still, there are some qualities we can only get from watching a series: a longer, more protracted storyline, a certain epicness that otherwise is harder to achieve in movies. PlanetES, one of the last series I watched in its entirety, is named after the word the ancient greeks used which means "wanderers" and is the word we use to describe them as well. True to its name, it takes place in outer space. It's very well written, and doesn't just explore themes of science fiction, but also the psychological mindstates of those who are bold enough to explore, and also some of the political/moral issues which may confront space exploration into the future. At the heart of it all though, are some very memorably characters and a story that will cling to you long after you finish seeing it.

Please note: Entries about media reviewed in this blog are written from the framepoint that the reader has already seen the work in question. Plot twists and endings will sometimes be examined.

The story is set in the near future with space exploration having progressed a bit further than it is in the world we live in today. The space stations are larger, and there are a few of them, including a permanent one on the moon. Most of the story takes place in space, and what glimpses we get of Earth, show it to be much as the one we live in today. Technology in space, however, is much more advanced, reflecting the sort of innovation and invention that would accompany adapting to it. Inventions such as artificial gravity, partial gravity (allowing people to jump much higher and come down softer), newer propulsion systems, and spacecraft have all become a reality.

The main characters are members of the "Debris Section" which is in charge of cleaning up space debris -materials such as loose metallic bolts and shrapnel floating around in the vacuum of space- that have become hazardous to space travel because they can shred traversing vehicles that come into contact with them. Debris Section is often belittled by members of the other sections as being mere garbage collectors, despite the job being both vital and dangerous.




The most central of the main characters are Hachirota Hoshino -often referred to simply by the nickname, "Hachimaki"- and Ai Tanabe. The series centers primarily around the relationship between these two protagonists. Hachi has been at his job for some time and is gruff, impatient, and defensive. He also comes off as being apathetic and a little bit lazy at the beginning of the series. Ai, on the other hand, is the newest member of the team. She is not only inexperienced, but naive and very idealistic in her thinking. Especially in the earlier episodes, I found her to be shrill and insistent to the point where I found myself shaking my head at the screen in disbelief, just like all the other characters within it. Both characters will grow and change a lot as the series progresses.

The show starts off being quite lighthearted, establishing its slightly futuristic setting in space with episodes that have a lot of humor as Ai blunders around while learning the ropes from her new crew, while also confounding them with her stubbornness on certain situations.

The action in the show isn't exactly what one would call action in the terms we've become used to. It isn't fast-paced and doesn't involve much fighting, hand-to-hand or otherwise. What there are a good deal of are realisticly frightening situations that result in some very tension-filled moments and will certainly bring some viewers to the edge of their seats. Very much in the variety of "My hand slipped and I just dropped the wire-cutters into a place I cannot retrieve them while disarming a bomb, time to panic"- kind of tension. Malfunctions, equipment failures, and sabotage that result in characters floating helplessly away into space might not seem like much at first, but when the realization settles in that they're heading out into the vast, cruel, endless void of space and no one will be able to help them in a few short minutes it can get pretty unnerving.

The show takes a much darker shift in its later episodes with increasingly frequent appearances by a terrorist group calling themselves the "Space Defense Front" (SDF), who conduct terror operations in space. To give an idea of the types of things they do: in one of their earlier appearances, they attempt to crash a highjacked ship into another larger ship, creating a storm of debris that will literally rain down metallic shrapnel onto a moon colony containing many civilians. What exactly is the SDF protesting? They feel that richer nations, by mining space for minerals and resources, are widening the disparity of wealth on earth and using that to take their oppression of poorer countries even further. Not incredibly far-fetched when you think about it, and enough to make you think seriously about what ethics problems might develop as space exploration progresses.

Other issues are explored in the series as well. While western audiences are sure to enjoy the universal themes of this series, as a Japanese work, it's also peppered with some very subtle criticisms of the Japanese business culture and ethic that will most likely go unnoticed by those who have never lived in Japan. Many of the employees are forced to work for excessively long periods of time, rarely seeing their families, a situation all too common amongst Japanese salarymen. The desire to make a profit results in crooked ways of doing business in foray that science is still researching. This idea is very effectively demonstrated in some very sleazy characters. One, who is the cocky son of a successful businessman, behaves like everyone has to take orders from him (shades of Japan's problem with hereditary power-passing perhaps). Another is a corrupt businessman himself who tries to order the Debris Section not do a particular job because it'll humiliate him personally, despite the fact that it could put others in harm.

On the other hand, there is one very intriguing character introduced late in the series, named Locksmith, who seems to absolutely fly in the face of what many would consider a character flaw that is found all too often amongst Japanese politicians and businessmen. Unlike others who are driven to succeed for profit he sees his goal -further exploration into space- as unquestionably noble, and doesn't listen to critics. At one point an engine test under his supervision results in an explosion that costs lives and he makes no intention of resigning (an action which many Japanese politicians and executives wouldn't hesitate to do). Unlike a lot of Japanese in leadership positions, he is driven enough to stick with things rather than let ideas of damaged honor or the fact that others call him "shamed" bring him to quit. No attempt is made to hide that he is unrelenting and ruthless. At a couple of points, he allows applicants to fall into real danger during a testing process to see how they'll react if such a situation would occur, whether they'll crack under pressure or work through it. This instance has a sort of dual purpose. It allows us to see the show's philosophy when it comes to the spirit of what kind of men will succeed in exploration. It also serves as something of a challenge to certain aspects of Japanese society such as backbone and complacency i.e. Are there people in there who have what it takes to break conventions in order to succeed?

Finally, however, there are the inner issues that confront the main characters. During the course of the series, Ai will have her faith in the overall goodness of humanity thrown into question, and while she might be unrelenting to the point of annoyance as the series starts, she becomes its voice of conscience by its end. The show truly loves its subject matter, and makes no secret that many characters have nothing less than a love affair with space itself and want to stay even though conditions like brittle bones from low gravity and sickness from space's high radiation threaten to kill them. Hachimaki, at one point, suffers from space dementia after an accident nearly leaves him stranded in space, and learns that the panic attacks he suffers afterward, might end up ripping him from outer space, the place he loves so much. He's confronted by an inner version of himself who mocks him saying that deep down inside he doesn't want to recover and that this will just become the excuse he needs give up on his dreams. While, as I mentioned before, Hachimaki starts off as seeming very apathetic, even broken down and beaten by life's realities, he will transform over the course of the series into someone capable of meeting the uncompromising standards of men like Locksmith.

Ultimately, however, the show really belongs to its characters. They're people we come to care about, and its their relationships and these personal challenges that form the most interesting part of the plot, and the soul of the story itself. I can't recommend it enough.






If you liked what you read, or would like to leave a comment, please do. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Unstoried People

Metropolis

The city which breathes like an organism
neon-bathed alleys, steel and concrete for skin
and still other creatures that crawl round within

And move silently through its veins like a cell
Through the hubs and the ports that with people do swell
like arteries from hearts to places unwell.

For dark are these corners where the diseases do dwell
and anything that anybody could want they will sell.
Inside each creature both a heaven and hell.


Unstoried People

In joy do we dance, and In anger do rage
In passion's fit burn the world, and dance round it's flames

And watch damned knowledge be lost
Before damned knowledge transferred
And all lessons cut short
Before anything learned
While the flames dance on high
While our heritage burns
While our hopes for new future in the same breath are birthed
For a legacy til now that's been nothing but cursed
Owes a fate secretly desired that's moreover been earned