Dreamland

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just know you're dreaming? Not because it's miraculous or too good to be true. It could be as simple as walking down the street or sitting on a swing but in that moment something clicks and you just know. At other times it's far less subtle. You could be flying or surrounded by unearthly creatures when it dawns upon you that you're dreaming. Of course you could be one of those people who have never had a lucid dream, who've never been able to completely experience Dreamland and all it has to offer. Did you notice the capitalization of Dreamland? That's because it's a place, a real place where we start this once upon a time...

Walking through the amber field I can't help but notice how gold it all is. The sunlight shimmering on the field as far as the eye can see. All that's missing is golden butterflies I think to myself and suddenly I notice one from the corner of my eye. Turning towards it I'm awestruck. I hold out my finger and will it to land on me. I can't help but smile as it does so. I'm dreaming aren't I?
"What shall we do tonight?" I whisper to the butterfly. I let it go and sit down, closing my eyes. I can feel the breeze change as the warmth fades away. I open my eyes knowingly. Although it's dark and unknown, there's not a drop of fear in me as I let my legs lead the way. The once golden dream is now a dark forest night but I keep walking in anticipation.
After a few more steps I can see a faint light. I begin to walk faster now till the trees part and I reach a clearing.
Breathless, I walk in a few more yards. Sheer exhilaration has taken the air out from my lungs. Afraid to breathe, I hold my breath - fearing that that shimmering stars may just float away. Then carefully and ever so slowly I exhale. To my amusement the stars swirl in the sky like silver leaves floating in a deep black sea.
Fairytales and adventures may be the desired dreams of some but for me, for tonight this was the one. 

Photographs

Remember when the term "camera roll" actually referred to a roll of film that went inside your camera? I couldn't have been the only one who got super excited whenever the film was developed and ready to be picked up. That feeling is lost in today's world where everything is ready in an instant. The number of photographs we can take is now limitless and they are available as soon as we click them - for viewing, sharing, deleting and retaking. I'll be honest, there's no practical downside to this. It saves a lot of money, time and disappointment (if the photo isn't up to expectations). But I still can't help but miss the feeling of going through physical photos and albums. Awaiting the photographs to be developed or even awaiting a letter from a friend or loved one. Despite the convenience of the digital world, instant pics and messages don't give the same pleasure as those letters long awaited.
WhatsApp messages and snaps have become routine - monotonous, expected and even annoying at times. Emails have become business oriented and letters very few and formal. Slowly we went from penpals to epals to WhatsApp buddies. The limitless storage of digital era is it's brilliance as well as it's weakness. Who has the time to go through the millions of saved photos like we used to go through photo albums? Did you even look twice at the 200 pics you took at your best friend's last birthday? So much digital data is lost or forgotten. Our generation captures each and every moment but in our free time we back them up instead of browsing through them.
Let's be honest, one of the only times we go through our pictures is when a friend's birthday is coming up and we need something to post on a social networking site or simply a special profile picture for that day. We click, caption, post and then forget about it until the next year when Facebook sends us a notification saying "You have a memory to look back on today" which means we must share it with yet another caption. Nowadays we click more for showing and sharing rather than for seeing and remembering. People are desperate to increase followers and likes rather than cherished memories.
Soft copies may be more convenient and in sync with the modern world but there's something about holding a simple photograph that just can't be beat. 

Timeless

Imagine a world in which all the days merge together. Where there is no darkness to indicate the passing of yet another 24 hours. How would you adapt to this world in which there was no sense of time?
Suppose there were no time telling devices either. Would your mind be in a state of havoc or peace? On the one hand this would create a beautiful set of circumstances for one to free themselves of all restraints and relax - eat, sleep, do whatever, whenever for as long or little as you want. There's no "oversleeping" or eating "too soon" or "too often" since time isn't kept track of.
However, on the other hand for those of us well adapted to busy, fast paced routines this may be a nightmare. The workaholics would get a panic attack without things to be done and deadlines to meet. They'd lose their grip on reality and be in a state of disarray.
One of the most unique concepts of a world where time stands still is having to live in the moment. You can't call up a friend and plan to meet "tomorrow" or "this weekend" or "next week" or even "later" in the day because there are no clocks, watches or calanders to coordinate by. This concept of "living in the moment" forces us to appreciate the present and enjoy our life as it currently is rather than focusing on the future and trying to meet the expectations that others and we ourselves have set.
Obviously this timeless world could never exist because even without the movement of the sun the human race would eventually invent clocks and other time tracking devices. Ever in a race to create the "next big thing" which will improve our lifestyle and move us forward, time is at the heart of everything we do. Everything is coordinated and planned - even spontaneous trips and activities have a time limit by which they must end. Every day and hour is planned - when we sleep, eat, work, relax, etc. Days of worship, work, celebration and weekends.
But I still consider this timeless world as a type of Utopia which lets us look at what's in front of us rather than always looking ahead. A world in which every business is working all the time. Why? Because there is no fixed time to sleep so there's no rush hour and accordingly no time in which almost no one will require your service. Some may look at this as the half empty glass - to keep a business open all the time requires more workers and hence more money to pay their salaries. But I say that's exactly why the glass is half full! Keeping a business open all the time requires MORE workers and hence creates more employment opportunities.
Let no one be told they are "late" or that they failed to complete a task "on time". Let mankind be free of this burden so they may relax a bit and see the world as it is. For in our race against time we often fail or see - or rather look past - the cruelties of this world and focus the Utopia we picture for ourselves at the finish line.
The more I write about this timeless world, the more I become aware of its flaws. However I still hold to my opinion of its Utopic nature but perhaps as a get away rather than a way to live. I would elaborate on this but regrettably I'm "running late" for class and must go.
Perhaps next time. 

Evolution of the Social Animal

Once upon a time in the world of the neanderthals, from a nook in a cave far away, emerged the homosapiens. They made it through the days on their survival instinct but for them just surviving wasn't enough. Being social animals they craved companionship with their fellow homosapiens.
How did they feed this craving? They created language - a means of communication to share information and to express themselves. Then after sometime they took it a step further. They converted their language into symbols which they could etch or sketch on a surface. This way they could communicate with those afar. Distance would not mean the end of a companionship.
Slowly but truly the social animal evolved. We decided that writing letters and waiting for them to be delivered took too long so we moved on to telephones for more pressing matters or simply for the desire to speak to a loved one.
But then all too soon we realised that the telephone was holding us back - making us stagnant when we make a call and especially when we are waiting for a call. We decided that communication should be mobile as we are and then someone somewhere invented the mobile phone. We as a species were ecstatic! This was everything we had ever wanted...or was it? As the craze for the new mobile phones mellowed down we realised that the telephones had a partner in crime: desktop computers. They kept us glued in the same seat for hours. We couldn't accept this. If telephones can be mobile then why can't computers be too?
From this idea evolved laptops and then the genius that is the smartphone. Even today we are moving forward. Inventing the next social machine. Social networks and video calling have already taken over our minds. What will we invent next? Perhaps a teleportation device so we can simply teleport to our loved ones whenever we desire or maybe a telecommunication device so we can share thoughts without speaking or writing.
Whatever it is one thing holds true: everything we have done as a species, we have done out of our social desires. Transport to meet loved ones (otherwise why not live at work?). Buildings to live together under a single roof, to have neighbors and feel a sense of belonging. Schools and educational institutes (rather than learning at home or in tuitions) to explore friendship and create memories which will never be forgotten. Even those who make discoveries in science do it not only for understanding the universe but also for acknowledgement amongst their peers and hopefully the world. Perhaps the biggest proof of our need for companionship is our desire to explore the stars for extraterrestrial species.
The homosapien is a social animal. Our evolution has shaped this planet as we know it. Alone we are nothing but together we dominate the Earth.