That was only a dream. They call such an experience a bad dream. I don’t call a dream good or bad. I only distinguish between an ordinary dream (99% of them) and a clear dream.

So, I had a clear dream that lasted quite a bit. I was called to the printing company to help them with my book. It was a special edition. (I had worked in a printing factory as a temporary worker some 10 years ago. Also, my last employer was a yearbook publishing company).

There I was happy in a printing company, helping with the production of my book. I even helped with the packaging and loading the boxes on pallets.

At the end of the night, I wanted to check a few of my books. There were a few people from media who wanted to have an autographed copy of my book. They also wanted to write advance reviews of the book. I took the media people to the location of my book in a huge warehouse. There was no sign of my book whatsoever. No pallets, no shipping documents . . . no nothing!

I became more and more anxious. Everybody I asked responded that they had never heard of my book! I had no documents to prove the production of my book. We moved round and round and round looking for my book. It was nowhere to be found. I even tried a search, like googling on the Internet. That search was weird! I tore paper from one of the defective books (by other authors) lying on the floor.

I wrote on a piece of blank paper the name of my book, and then I wrote ‘Search’ (like hitting a button!) I threw the “search paper” in a glass box the size of a small office. Curiously, a lady clerk performed a search! She came back with a strong negative answer. There was absolutely no evidence of my book in the entire company. It might have taken hours looking around for my book. The coincidence was that it happened during the night, when my dream took place!

I became so anxious that I ran to … an incinerator. Many defective books were burnt in that furnace. I started to yell: “They printed my book only to burn every copy! Because I discovered the formula of the absurdity of the idea of god!” The media people were writing in their small notebooks about the incidents regarding my book.

All of a sudden, a clerk ran towards my group. He shouted: “We found your book! Somebody bought 50,000 copies.” I couldn’t believe my ears! I remembered my book was printed in only a few hundred copies, as a special edition! How come — 50,000 sold?

The clerk took us to a pretty large pickup truck. We saw the pallets with books. The clerk showed me the laden bill. It read 50,000 total copies, but no buyer. “Who is the buyer?” “Scott Penn of Missouri,” the clerk answered.

I wanted to see if the deal was for real. I hopped on the truck. We arrived at the buyer very shortly, like instantly (dream speed beats Einstein’s speed of light!) The buyer met us at his place. It looked more like a little orchard (I also worked for years in an orchard!) The clerk who drove the pickup truck didn’t park in the right spot. We had to push the truck a few meters, in the back of the orchard . . . and it didn’t feel hard at all!

I became more than anxious this time — I got mad. I yelled like I … like to say it’s the roar of a tiger. (I did scare a few people on a few occasions . . . in real life!) “This is a scheme! You bought all the copies of by book to burn them!”

To my surprise, Scott Penn asked me to autograph a few copies. He wanted me to autograph a hardcover copy for himself. I was probably shocked because I woke up . . .


II. Reality check

That dream had a strong impression on me. When I woke up, a bedside clock showed 3:47 AM. I wished I had a beer. It was kind of humid and just below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I had no beer or any alcohol (normally should be vermouth this season). I went to the refrigerator for milk. The wall clocked showed 3:48 AM (the relativity of time, huh?)

I didn’t want to forget that dream. I wrote on a stick-it note 5 lines:

8/8/08 onto 8/9
3:47AM 3:48AM
Scott Penn
Missouri
50,000 copies of my book to burn

I believe I am the accurate expert on dreams and dream interpretation. There is nothing mysterious or prophetic about dreams. Nobody can interpret dreams but the dreamer himself/herself. I did write previously about dreams at SALIU.COM:

Dreaming, Dreams, Dream: Interpretation, Interpreting, Lucid, Clear.

“Dreaming is a function of the Fear_Survival system. Dream interpretation is valid on a personal basis only: Determined by individual concerns. Dreaming is a personal art. Dream interpretation (interpreting dreams) is a personal science. A dream is a random playback of altered past images, more often than not. The real past images (of events that really took place) represent a tiny percentage in the random payback. Most dream images are the creation of the awaken segment of the MOS (mental operating system). The MOS kernel attempts to fill in the blanks by dreaming. The clear (vivid or lucid) dreams are more coherent; sometimes very close to the reality coherence. I categorize clear dreams as the most important category of dreams. What they call lucid dream is simply a myth. As clear as a dream might be, it is still a highly unconscious event that cannot be controlled consciously — as in lucid dreams.”

I don’t believe it is hard to interpret this clear dream, as I am the dreamer. I am kind of the author of my dream, although there is a high degree of randomness even in the clearest of clear dreams. I was at the end of watching Carl Sagan’s Cosmos DVD collection before going to bed. It ended at 12:15 AM, between August 8 and 9. Of course, Cosmos is a very important work. It puts science at forefront, while quite politely combating mysticism and religion.

On the other hand, I do have serious issues with Carl Sagan’s theory. First of all, he is a faithful member of the Einstein Party. Everything is Perfectly Ordered. Sagan often repeats that the Universe is Ruled by Perfect Order or Precise Order. Sometimes, Carl Sagan falls on his knees to a special form of religion: science fiction. He even wrote a sci-fi novel named Contact. The novel is founded on the concept of wormholes: The only explanation that defends Einstein’s cosmological constant and separation of time and space.

After all, Cosmos means Perfectly Ordered, the opposite of another Ancient Greek concept: Chaos (no translation available … I mean, needed, for that!)

Another serious issue I’ve had with Carl Sagan was related to his gross interpretation of Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle were advocates for slavery alright. There is also mysticism in their philosophies. But Carl Sagan blames all evils in contemporary civilization on Plato and Aristotle. Carl Sagan grossly ignores Socrates, the master of his two most important disciples, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates is NEVER mentioned in Cosmos.

The sacred Truth is (as Sagan puts it on a different occasion) that our contemporary civilization is indebted mostly to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They perfected philosophy and the science of thinking. What they were wrong for was for the right reasons! The trial of Socrates especially is the most important event in human history. Reason was brought to the forefront for the first time in history. Socrates did NOT defend himself. He chose to defend Reason — and that was the reason he was sentenced to death. That was the earthquake that forever damaged mysticism.


III. It’s About Time

Clearly to me, my dream tells me that I have something important to say to humanity. Once again, my dream warns me that I might procrastinate … again. I am behind the schedule, it looks like, especially as of writing my fundamental book.

Look at what I wrote on the sticky note still under the strong influence of my dream: 8/8/08. It should have been 8/8/11. But during the day I thought it was 8/8 as I remembered the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 08. I know, the Chinese interpretation of the number 8 is totally mystical. In my oneiric case, however, it symbolizes the necessity to take time more seriously, almost like in a worshipping manner!

The burning of all copies of my book is an extremely strong symbol. If something is out of the ordinary, it triggers so-called controversy. I remembered just before I wrote this that Darwin had clear dreams (he called them nightmares) that he was hanged! The clear dreams occurred just after he published his monumentally controversial Origin of Species. The book is still controversial today, as contemporary world is still breathed by big hoards of mystics. But, most importantly, Darwin’s work is for natural science what the bible is for Christian mystics or the Quran for Islamic mystics.

The fear of death because of ideas or writing books is no longer real in the civilized world. Unfortunately, it still is in the barbaric world of mysticism. Soviet Communism also “rewarded” some books’ authors with cruel death. As a change of face, the Chinese type of Communism might sell the organs of some controversial Chinese authors to hospitals in the United States. But the governments don’t think that’s the real problem for the U.S. debt in relation to China!

My dream clearly informs me that what I write is controversial. Should I put it milder? The conclusion of my dream seems to tell me: “Don’t change a thing!” After all, the guy who I feared was going to destroy my books actually wanted my autograph! On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, I should think of the tone of my tongue. Some say that, at times, I prove I have a sword for a tongue. I grew that on the Internet. I was first attacked and then I responded. Some call me Dracula, given my national origin. I am sure I’ll give more consideration to the tone of my words, even after I was attacked.

I have never known or heard of a person named Scott Penn. None of my customers bears that name.

The state of Missouri, however, has significance. I have sold three autographed copies to readers in Missouri in 2011. I can’t forget that for a curious reason. I print the shipping labels on line with PayPal. My customers register with their addresses. The state is abbreviated to 2 letters. Missouri is MO. It is one of the most confusing state abbreviations in the U.S. The first state people think of MO is Montana! On the other hand, PayPal requires choosing a state from a drop-down list (you can’t simply copy-and-paste from your customer database). The PayPal list only shows Missouri, not MO.

That’s how I do not forget that the state of Missouri bought ... the largest number of copies of my book! I mean the books I sell myself by mail.

Sincerely also, I thought of Missouri as of a southern U.S. state. People over there are considered more religious and somehow more intransigent and intolerant regarding modern ideas. They certainly stick more to the bible than to the “Origin of Species”. I joked to myself: “Maybe they will burn my book down in MO and the South . . .” BRRRRRRRRAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Scott Penn, reader extraordinaire of Missouri, has given me hope, nevertheless.

An even more encouraging symbol is Penn. It is the name of the founder of Pennsylvania (I came over from Transylvania!) Penn is named the Keystone State. The birth certificate of the Land of the Free was written and signed in PENNsylvania.

Ion Saliu,
The Dreamer At-Large
Autograph: