The Absurdity of Falling Asleep
Why we are all crazy for closing our eyes at night and how we can apply this to the rest of our lives
CC Image courtesy of schmirn on flickr
Why we are all crazy for closing our eyes at night and how we can apply this to the rest of our lives
Every single person sleeps. But have you ever though about how crazy the concept is? Once my eyes are closed, the world, as far as I know, ceases to exist. My conscious mind is no longer a part of reality and were my heart to stop beating, I may never again exist.
Sleep cannot be a scary subject, can it? It’s a peaceful place of rest. An island of rejuvenation. A sanctuary where our minds are able to run free.
But we still know very little about sleep as a species. The fact that you don’t remember falling asleep and, at least in my case,awake in a flash of reconciliation is an idea to be feared. It’s as though you are being rebooted and the program life.exe is being run. Luckily for us, it loads faster than a supercomputer so we aren't left in a state of limbo (at least on most mornings).
When I think about what it really means to be asleep, the way we experience time always comes to mind. I find it impossible to really explain the passing of time while asleep which, to me, is quite a scary thought.
We get through life by giving ourselves routines. They help make use of the time we have. We’ve created systems to explain the passage of time so that we can control our destiny. But while we sleep, the illusion of controlling time is destroyed. There idea of a day, a year, a century are non-existent. We can sleep for an hour and awake feeling like months have passed. Or even worse if you have to get up early, the time between eyes closing and reopening passes in a second.
We have no control over our sleep behaviours. No grasp of time or reality while our eyes are closed. No assurance we will reopen our eyes after they shut.
And yet, we crave sleep. Our bodies and our minds would be unable to function if we were unable to hit the snooze on reality.
So every night we willing subject ourselves to the possibility of never awaking. We embrace the unknown with open arms and this is the lesson we should apply to the rest of our lives.
Every day we face uncertainty. Humans barely understand the question, “What is reality?” and we are even further from the answer, but we still press on. Decisions, with no apparent solution, creep up daily and at times, we are paralyzed with fear and unable to make a decision.
At these times, I ask you to remember the fearless journey into the unknown in which you partake nightly. Embrace the doubt, the uncertainty, and the fear of whatever decision awaits you with the same zealous demeanor guiding you through the treacherous battlefield of the unknown we call bedtime.
Onward my friends and to all of you I say, goodnight!