If you were offered the power to change reality, would you take it? Would you be willing to put yourself in the position where you play God? But here is the catch: the world can only be changed through dreams... and the things can go wrong.
Sounds weirdly exciting, doesn't it? To most of us, yes. But to George Orr, it was a curse that led him to start abusing drugs to keep himself from dreaming. George eventually seeks help from Dr. William Haber who although skeptical at first, secretly begins to exploit Orr's capabilities to alter reality. To make the world better place. To elevate himself socially—hierarchically (as you might).
However, as in all dystopian books, nothing is ever that simple, and events take an unexpected turn.
I won't ruin your firsthand experience of reading this amazing book (if you decide to, idk). Instead, I will discuss a few compelling ideas and concepts related to it, which you may find interesting.
Alan Watts, one of my fav guys back in my teenage years, described Taoism as the art of going with the flow of life, rather than resisting it. Tao is the way things are, the natural order of the universe.
According to Watts, Taoism teaches that trying too hard to control or fix life - breaks it (something that Dr. Haber didn't understand). Author, Le Guin, was heavily influenced by this ideology and this shows most clearly through George Orr. He embodies Wu Wei (non-action) - harmony with the natural flow.
“You have to help another person. But it's not right to play God with masses of people. To be God you have to know what you're doing. And to do any good at all, just believing you're right and your motives are good isn't enough.
In the book, you will notice that altering the reality often leads to identity confusion of characters. They don't know if what they remember is real, or if anything is real at all. After every "effective" dream, George Orr's identity gets rewritten - reflecting Sartre’s idea that existence precedes essence: he exists first, and then must figure out who he is again and again. It shows the individual's struggle to live authentically in the face of doubt, uncertainty and despair. Despair of life - in which, according to Nietzsche, God is dead, and there is no ultimate truth, so we are forced to confront the abyss, and admit - there is no meaning to life. "Okay so.. what now?" - That’s where our friend Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, comes in with his Logotherapy — to clear the window.
Logotherapy is a therapeutic approach focused on finding purpose and meaning in life. Frankl outlines three central sources of meaning:
Creating and achieving: Finding purpose through creative work, goals, and accomplishments.
Experience and encounter: Gaining meaning through relationships, love, and appreciating beauty.
Attitude towards unavoidable suffering: Developing resilience by choosing one’s attitude in the face of unavoidable pain and hardship, which can bring a profound sense of purpose.
The Lathe of Heaven is one of the best dystopian books I've read in a long time. It's packed with interesting ideas, some of which will definitely resonate with you. So, if you have time and want something truly thought-provoking, give it a shot.
Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.