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Maybe in an Alternate Dimension
Occasionally we have a dream so vivid that upon waking, we wonder if any of these often too-good-to-be-true occurances were real -- or even assume that they, in fact, are. Given a few minutes of waking, we come to realize that our subconcious has, once again, fooled us, or so it may seem. Perhaps, though, our subconscious is more than the center to what makes us human, but rather, something more -- an interdimensional gateway.
The concept of a multiple realities is not a new one, dating back to at least before the 1960s. In 1995, of 72 leading physicists, 42 believed the relatively new many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. In brief, the theory states that each choice branches off into multiple decisions, and, upon many iterations of choices, there are nearly infinite states of existence.
The many-worlds interpretation has been utilized extensively in science fiction. In the television series Sliders, a crew travels between parallel universes after damaging a "timer" capable of opening vortices to these universes. They are in constant search of their own universe, "sliding" from universe to universe, hoping to once again, encounter their home.
This theory has also been explored numerous times in the Star Trek franchise. In the mid 1960s episode "Mirror, Mirror" of the original series, Star Trek, the crew is transported to a very similar reality, excepting that each person is, quite simply, evil. The crew formulates a method of returning to their universe once more, finding that a switch had actually taken place across the universes between several members of the crew. This universe was explored in more depth in the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which is placed approximately 100 years in the future in the franchise timeline. Transportation between the two universes is a realistic choice -- albeit not very a highly accepted one.
Though far-fetched, the portrayal of the many-worlds interpretation in science fiction is fairly accurate. It is not as simple or easy to explain as often portrayed, but the concept is real -- there are, in fact, alternate realities to our own. A fairly easily understandable example of this was demonstrated on July 6th, 2004 in the New York Post. US Representative Dick Gephardt was inaccurately reported to be presidential candidate Senator John Kerry's running mate in the 2004 election. Kerry had actually chosen Senator John Edwards, effectively splitting the universe into two universes. Likewise, there are an infinitesimally small number of universes where somebody reading this edition of the Post is actually the running mate of Kerry, by some strange run of coincidences. There are also universes where Republican President George W. Bush is the Democratic presidential candidate and Senator John Kerry is the Republican president. Though not entirely sound in theories of quantum mechanics, this provides an illustration of the theory.
By ascribing to a many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, we are affirming that our dreams are more than just that -- they are realities. Whether the dreamer becomes a guitarist for the band Radiohead or Mikhail Gorbachev triggered an all-out nuclear war, these things have happened and will happen -- in an alternate dimension.
Matthew Montgomery
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. I wrote a bit about a dream like this. It's posted under "The Perfect Girl." Please read it if you wish
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