For this week's Wiki response, I examed the idea of "What if dreams predicted the schedule for the next day?" via mind map and later expanded into a short story.
The idea can be transformed into a variety range of work, but I think a piece of linear animation would be the most suitable. The concept of dream and predicting the future can be connected and addressed through so many different aspects: emotions, actions, society conflicts... It is a great opportunity to tackle reality issues through this piece of animation, using the power of dreaming as a metaphor to express human's desire and emotions during sudden changes of environment.
The example I can immediately relate is movie Next (2007), where the main character has the power of predicting the future, and thus continually changing behaviour accordingly for the best benefit.
Expansion Writing:
What if dreams predicted the schedule of the next day?
The prediction of the future seems to be an impossible and dangerous task. Throughout the centres, many have tried to decode the mystery of time and possibility, through mathematics, psychology, astronomy, and even religious. The attraction of knowing the future is tempting but dangerous as the prediction itself may result in many endless, uncontrollable and chaotic consequences.
However, the power of knowing the future is granted to all living beings in a sudden, with some forms of restriction. People have discovered that prediction of the future is only limited to the next day while happening in dreaming.
This sudden grant of power has no doubt brought a massive wave of impact through every aspect of life. Many are thrilled and overjoyed with their new power. The frustration and scary challenges of the unknown they might face has dramatically decreased. Others are more thoughtful and cautious, wondering the meaning of this sudden change, and its consequence. A few of them are unsatisfied, desiring more of their power and not satisfied only knowing their schedule of the next day.
Things have begun to change rapidly in a way no one has ever experienced (but they all see in their dream). In human societies, the industry that is impacted the most is journalism. At first, it seems that no one would require news anymore. Still, soon people discover that through the loop of dreams, it is possible to predict two days', three days' future from now: People can already predict the future for the next day, and they can also see the news paper of the next day in their dreams, though less accurate. Journalists and medias soon realised the danger and impact of the first taste of this power, and 'Sleeping Journalist' has become the most advanced career overnight.
However, not everyone is optimistic about the new change of balance: Scientists have warned the danger of overusing the power of the unknown. It's power and effect to human is not yet learned and studied. Surprisingly, several religious groups also send their warning, though based on a different motive: They are losing power and population. Because people themselves can predict the future, they are way less scared, and the uncertainty of the future has dramatically decreased.
Two weeks after gaining the new power of future prediction, many people have realised that the power seems to be not that enjoyable, especially when they have nightmares. Although they will certainly dream the future of the next day at some point during the night, there is no apparent difference between the dream they have been having since birth and the dreams of prediction. Many people are haunted by their worst nightmares, feeling certain that it would unavoidably happen the next day, only to find out that's not a prediction. There are worse cases where people start to refuse to sleep, scared about what they might find out during their dreams while others couldn't tell the difference between dreams and reality, living in fear both awake and asleep. The study of this effect has been sped up, and medicines to decrease the effect are also under development, but it might already be too late.
More and more people start to experience a large amount of stress, unable to focus on their work as societies have begun to fall apart. People also realised that they are not the only one on this planet that has gained the power: all living beings can predict through the dream. In this case, surprisingly, animals have handled it much better and easier via their natural instinct. The agriculture and fishing industry is impacted heavily, with little fishing harvest and server insect disaster around the globe. Some people, through their new gained power, have already predicted that the apocalypse is coming.
The cause and effect, after all, is too much for the human brain to handle.
Downloads:
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Download File: map.pdf
Download File: expansion-writing.docx