The Illusion of Wakefulness vs. Dreaming

The world isn’t what you think it is.

People are quick to make a sharp distinction between being awake and dreaming, as if these are two fundamentally different states. But here’s the catch: the brain uses the same mechanisms whether you’re awake or dreaming. The same neural circuits are firing. In fact, studies have shown that the brain’s electrical activity in REM sleep (when we dream) closely resembles that of the wake state. The same brain regions responsible for processing sensory information, memory, and emotions are activated during dreams as they are when you're "awake."

So what’s the real difference? It’s just conceptual. It’s just thought creating the illusion that waking and dreaming are two distinct realities. For the body and the brain, these are all part of the same continuum.. a never-ending process of filtering, reacting to, and interpreting stimuli. The so-called "real world" is nothing more than a dream with rules. Rules that thought itself has created to separate one state from another.

And then there’s sleepwalking. Sleepwalkers interact with the same physical reality you do when you’re "awake." They walk around, perform tasks, engage with their environment.. all while being "asleep." Their brain, for all intents and purposes, is in a dream state, yet they’re able to function in the same world you believe you navigate consciously. So what does that tell us? It tells us that being awake is just another layer of illusion. Sleepwalkers aren't any less engaged with the world than you are. They’re simply navigating the dream differently.

The Fallacy of "Normal" Functioning

Humans love to think of themselves as the apex of biological evolution, with our complex brains and high IQs. But there are countless examples that poke holes in this self-aggrandizing narrative. Let’s talk about people missing huge portions of their brains. There are documented cases of individuals with extreme brain abnormalities, missing entire regions of their brains, yet they manage to function in society, hold jobs, form relationships, and live what most would consider "normal" lives. Some even have extraordinarily low IQs, and yet they still interact with the world, make decisions, and behave in ways indistinguishable from the so-called intelligent, whole-brained individuals.

So what does that mean? It means that our understanding of intelligence, thought, and consciousness is severely flawed. It shows that having a "full" brain or a high IQ is not as crucial to functioning in the world as we’ve been led to believe. We’ve mistaken complexity for necessity. These people are living proof that the brain.. and by extension, thought.. isn’t the all-powerful force we imagine it to be. You don’t need an "intact" brain or high-level cognition to function, which begs the question: how much of what we call thinking is actually necessary?

Other Creatures, Same Reality

Humans aren’t the only ones interacting with this so-called "reality." Plenty of animals and organisms.. many of which lack what we would call a brain.. interact with the same matter, stimuli, and environment, often with a level of sophistication that rivals or even surpasses humans. Take fungi, for example. The mycelial networks that exist underground are capable of solving complex problems, efficiently distributing resources across vast networks in ways that mirror human cities. And they do this without eyes, without ears, without brains.

Octopuses are another example. With highly decentralized nervous systems and the ability to solve complex puzzles, they interact with their environment in ways that challenge our narrow definition of intelligence. They don’t need a central brain like humans, yet they exhibit a form of intelligence that allows them to adapt, learn, and navigate their surroundings in extraordinary ways.

What about plants? Plants respond to stimuli, "communicate" with each other through root systems, and even "remember" environmental conditions. And again, they do this without a brain, without consciousness as we understand it.

The point is this: we’ve deluded ourselves into believing that human thought is the ultimate tool for understanding and navigating the world. But countless examples from nature prove that thought, as humans experience it, is not the apex of intelligence or interaction with reality. It’s just one of many ways that life has figured out how to survive and function. And in many ways, it's one of the most inefficient, overcomplicated systems out there.

The Invention of Life and Death

We’ve constructed elaborate concepts of life and death, as if these are two well-defined, opposing states. But these, too, are nothing more than thought-constructs. Take the example of a demented person who has lost almost all cognitive function.. are they dead or alive? Their body still functions, but their mind, as we understand it, is no longer there. We’ve created concepts like "brain dead" to categorize these in-between states, but even those definitions are arbitrary.

If someone is brain-dead but their body is alive, what are they? The lines we’ve drawn between life and death are nothing but a product of thought, arbitrary distinctions that we’ve invented to maintain the illusion of control over existence. We cling to these ideas because they give us a sense of stability in an otherwise chaotic and indifferent universe.

The Illusion of Motion and Continuity

The human experience of continuity.. the idea that life is a smooth, ongoing process.. is a complete fabrication. Motion itself is an illusion. When you watch a movie, what you’re really seeing is a series of still frames, presented rapidly enough that your brain fills in the gaps and creates the appearance of fluid motion. The same thing is happening in your daily life. You aren’t experiencing a continuous stream of events. You’re experiencing fragmented moments, stitched together by your brain into a coherent narrative.

And that’s all your reality is.. a stitched-together narrative, pieced together by a brain that’s desperately trying to make sense of the overwhelming chaos of stimuli bombarding it every second. What you perceive as motion, life, and continuity is just the brain’s way of coping with reality. It’s not real. It’s a trick, a survival mechanism, a necessary delusion to keep you from going insane under the sheer weight of sensory overload.

The Ultimate Dismantling: Thought Itself

Thought is not a tool for understanding; it’s a byproduct, a side effect of the brain’s need to process stimuli and maintain the body’s survival. It’s not your friend. It’s not your ally. It’s not a brilliant mechanism to unravel the mysteries of the universe. It’s a crude, blunt instrument.. designed to react, to categorize, and to predict, all in the name of keeping you alive. But instead of letting thought remain a simple survival tool, humans have turned it into their master. You believe that through thought, you can control, predict, and shape your reality. But you can’t. Thought is reactive, not proactive. It comes after the fact, narrating events that have already unfolded.

The world isn’t what you think it is.. literally. Thought is filtering, distorting, and fabricating everything you perceive. And the more you rely on it, the more entangled you become in the web of delusion. You’re not seeing the world as it is; you’re seeing a hallucination, crafted by your brain and your thought processes. You think you’re awake, alive, and in control.. but all of that is just the dream thought has woven for you.

---

PS: If this work burns through the noise for you, consider fueling the fire:

• Buy me a coffee: ☕️ Buy me a coffee

• Substack subs: ✍️ Substack

• Direct support via PayPal (single or recurring): 💣 PayPal

Not for charity. Not for fluff. Just to keep the demolition sharp and uncensored.