Theories like Freud’s have been seen in various cultures as well. Dreams
are commonly seen as visions, or premonitions of possible danger. The
Mah Meri group, here in Malaysia, are one of these groups, and they
often carve sculptures to remember their dreams, as a form of gratitude
to the gods that provided them with these visions. Other cultures have
certain meanings for certain dreams, using them to decide important
decisions.
However, dreams can sometimes be confusing. In Iceland for example,
something negative, such as drowning, is seen as a sign of good luck in
a dream. But if it were to happen in real life, it probably wouldn’t receive
the same opinion. The divide between dreams and reality can be a blur,
but situations such as this one help make it clearer.
Back to the original question: why do we dream? Is it really a sign from
the universe? Is it just something our brain does when it’s bored? It isn’t
easy to answer, and perhaps it’s simply just the beauty of dreams: a
mystery we’ll never be able to solve.
Shreya
“dreams are those that
don’t let you sleep at
night”