What does that mean, exactly?
Over the past several months, I've had a recurring theme in my dreams from time to time. It's more than a theme, it's almost a recurring storyline, only with some variations in setting.
It's difficult to use the proper terminology to get the point across, since these dreams deal heavily with the theme of identity. Basically, as I enter the dream I am already vaguely aware of the fact that I am, in some way or another, a replacement for a predeceased Kevin Bowman. Usually this means I am a clone, or at least genetically related. I am typically already at least in my late stages of adolescent development, or possibly even my current age (but maybe artificially so), and I am living with Kevin's family, and "resuming" his roles, "relearning" his character, and picking up as much of his history as I can. I never get to the point in these dreams where I think really carefully about who I might really be, and whether I have the choice to be someone of my own making.
The tricky part about a dream like this is that since during my waking hours I am conscious of the fact that I am myself, Kevin, it comes almost too naturally in such a dream to "become" Kevin; I identify with him, even though I've never met him. I even feel like I might just be Kevin who lost his memories, or Kevin who got a second chance to live after a terrible mishap. It's difficult to conceptualize how different the experience might be if there were no subtle underlying awareness of who I am outside the dream.
Does this happen in the real world? Can someone grow up believing that they are just a continuation of someone else's life? Does it come naturally, or would they have to grow into the role? Whose job is it to keep them mindful of who they "really" are as they develop?
Maybe this is just a more hardcore way of expressing the ancient concept of immortality of the name? That is, if you can leave a permanent mark on the world by being the subject of legend, poem, and song, can you do even more than that, achieve a sort of pseudo-reincarnation, by imprinting not only your name, but your "identity" on a new life?
This isn't actually so different from the ubiquitous model of raising ones own children to share one's values, even (maybe) ranging up to the concept of heirdom and lines of succession. The main difference expressed in these dreams is the fact that the identity is being transferred, as wholly as possible, between two individuals who are never alive at the same time.
It's really fascinating, and not at all an unpleasant dream to have. Really gets the noodles cooking.
It's difficult to use the proper terminology to get the point across, since these dreams deal heavily with the theme of identity. Basically, as I enter the dream I am already vaguely aware of the fact that I am, in some way or another, a replacement for a predeceased Kevin Bowman. Usually this means I am a clone, or at least genetically related. I am typically already at least in my late stages of adolescent development, or possibly even my current age (but maybe artificially so), and I am living with Kevin's family, and "resuming" his roles, "relearning" his character, and picking up as much of his history as I can. I never get to the point in these dreams where I think really carefully about who I might really be, and whether I have the choice to be someone of my own making.
The tricky part about a dream like this is that since during my waking hours I am conscious of the fact that I am myself, Kevin, it comes almost too naturally in such a dream to "become" Kevin; I identify with him, even though I've never met him. I even feel like I might just be Kevin who lost his memories, or Kevin who got a second chance to live after a terrible mishap. It's difficult to conceptualize how different the experience might be if there were no subtle underlying awareness of who I am outside the dream.
Does this happen in the real world? Can someone grow up believing that they are just a continuation of someone else's life? Does it come naturally, or would they have to grow into the role? Whose job is it to keep them mindful of who they "really" are as they develop?
Maybe this is just a more hardcore way of expressing the ancient concept of immortality of the name? That is, if you can leave a permanent mark on the world by being the subject of legend, poem, and song, can you do even more than that, achieve a sort of pseudo-reincarnation, by imprinting not only your name, but your "identity" on a new life?
This isn't actually so different from the ubiquitous model of raising ones own children to share one's values, even (maybe) ranging up to the concept of heirdom and lines of succession. The main difference expressed in these dreams is the fact that the identity is being transferred, as wholly as possible, between two individuals who are never alive at the same time.
It's really fascinating, and not at all an unpleasant dream to have. Really gets the noodles cooking.