Daydreams

I created this blog two years ago. Its purpose is to become the repository of the results of whatever mental exercise I could summon up regarding daydreams. Then it has been left hanging since due mainly to our transfer of residence. Why daydreams? The thought just came up to me as daydreaming seems to have become a favorite pastime whenever I get the opportunity to ‘kill’ time.

It used to be, maybe it still is, that daydreaming is looked down as an undesirable activity. Remember Walter Mitty? The story of Walter Mitty, a story that almost all children know—a parody on daydreaming. Stories are told to entertain or teach a lesson and Walter Mitty is a classic story told to every growing child to teach them what not to be.

In the past, society looked-down hard on daydreaming as unproductive. People who daydream can not contribute well to the booming industrial revolution where thousands of production line workers and many hyperactive managers were needed to fuel economic growth. In my own personal experience with corporate life I can remember how many times have I been frowned at by my old-school bosses for thinking instead of mindlessly moving around doing something but accomplishing nothing.

Recent research shows that one-third to one-half of our waking hours are actually spent daydreaming. Just as I thought—daydreaming is a normal human activity and not some kind of disease or abberation that it used to be branded as. Research also shows that daydreaming promotes creativity which I highly agree as anything new cannot just come out of thin air. So Steve Jobs must have daydreamed a lot when he conceptualized the i-gadgets.

Studying daydreaming is the responsibility of psychologists. Society’s waning repressiveness is opening doors to more research and study on the phenomenon.

I do not claim expertise on the subject. In fact, I initiated this blog so I could improve my understanding of it. Of course, I could do it on my own but I hate lonely endeavors, so hopefully a blog would encourage contribution from others who may know more than I do or are interested to join this journey to know more of a natural human activity and possibly find ways for its proper management with the ultimate intention of maximizing whatever benefits it offers.