Remember that one dreamer can change the entire dream if they so choose, and are driven to do so. Iden, Asmodan, �Wyrmgrim, and many others including the Kabal and other groups of questionable interest are constantly changing the dream with their fear, their knowledge, their acts, and their sacrifices. I have at times struggled to see why these dreamers sought to destroy the dream or the dreamers therein. I have come to realize the reason they have attempted this, is because they can. I have seen them change the course of history, and even develop arts in order to facilitate this.

If one dreamer can change the dream, then a multitude of dreamers can have many times the affect as one. After Iden started experimenting with Dreamquake and the houses, and the falling of the houses thereafter, I found dreamers were at first in shock with the news. House members were suddenly disowned by their homes and families at the hands of Iden. After the initial shock, dreamers of certain houses sought to fix their state of affairs in the dream, and began working towards rebuilding the dream and it�s houses. In As a member of dreamers of Light, I saw that many members of the house gathered together to fix the house and desired to bring it back to it�s former glory in the dream. Dreamers put many hours a day, days a week, weeks a month in order to bring the houses back. Some houses were more reluctant to bring the houses back, and those who had a very weak house cohesion, were slower to adapt to the ways of the dream than the dreamers who were part of a larger family oriented house were. These dreamers who sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears into these houses were rewarded for their efforts as all of the houses opened to them, and once again dreamers became part of their houses.

One thing in Underlight that seems constant is the more things change, the more things stay the same. Some dreamers are stuck in the old way of Underlight. Wars, darkmares, houses, etc� many of these change very little in Underlight. Dreamers of Light warring with House Calenture has changed little over the years, and still occurs, as it did when I first entered the dream. There are dreamers who still justify physical retribution for verbal comments, because they lack he intelligence to rebut verbally. This will not change. This is very apparent in the FreeSoul communities, who believe that their actions have no effect, and therefore there is no retribution. Retribution occurs, but in many subtle ways that some may not perceive. This has been ongoing since long before I became a dreamer, and will continue for a long time to come since there are some who are unable to anything other than fight.

Arrogance is a trait that can be found among many dreamers. Some dreamers want sway over a group that is beyond their ability to control. Many of these dreamers are higher ranked and believe that they are able to browbeat others of lower stature. These dreamers should be dealt with carefully, as they are more prone to explode if provoked, and some will even have a fit should you disagree or conflict with them.

There are also many events in the dream that can tie people or houses together in friendly competition or combat. The dreamer�s cups, battle of the foci, tournament of sphere�s, dream knowledge trivia competitions. All these are for the betterment of the dream. Some people enjoy competing, even if they know they cannot or will not win. One excellent example was the participation of the Alliance of the Eclipse in the dreamer�s cup. There is no possible way for them to win the dreamers cup, as they are not allowed to perform violent actions or harm other dreamers. However, they participated on the basis that they could last without being collapsed in the Dreamers cup until the very end. To my own surprise, and that of many others is that the last team to be eliminated in the dreamers cup was the Alliance. For the Alliance, getting second in the dreamers cup is the same as getting first as there was no way they could collapse a dreamer. I was most impressed by their ability to stay in the competition and get second without attacking a single dreamer. This was probably the best example of good sportsmanship that I have ever seen in or out of Underlight. I was most impressed.

In Underlight there are double standards. Sad but true. Everywhere you look there are double standards in the dream. Whether you are FreeSoul, Illuminated, freespirit, enlightened, or what-have-you, there is a definite double standard for some dreamers compared to others. There can be an explanation for some things such as tasking and arts. Others are just based on arrogance, and poor judgement. This can be a result of some dreamers get stuck in one manner of thinking and are not allowing themselves a chance to grasp new ideas or refusal to see the meaning of these new ideas.

Dreamers who think "outside the box" tend to be more successful in terms of progress that those who seek "canned" answers. Remember that the only thing that separates one dreamer from another is that dreamer�s individuality. Dreamers who are willing not only to questions themselves and others, but who are willing to think beyond the expected are generally more likely to succeed and to grasp concepts. Some dreamers think that there is only one answer to a question, or a limited series of answers to a question. It is all right to disagree, but it is something totally different to dismiss an idea because it does not fall in line with your own. Histories are a great example of this lesson. I once had a debate with a teacher of mine who I was discussing a history that I used in a task. This teacher, without hesitation, told me that I was wrong. There was no reason, although I am thinking it is because once a dreamer accepts a history as gospel, they don�t want to have to change their perception of what is and what should never be. Dreamers should be encouraged to seek new answers to old questions in order to suit their needs. There is no such thing as "one truth".

The nice guy can finish first. Unlike in my shard, a nice dreamer can be just as successful and just as respected as someone who can fight and beat up dreamers or darkmares. Some dreamers seem to think that prowess is just a physical attribute, and that the only way to settle things is to fight over it. In some cases, war is justified fights are not. I hate seeing dreamers fight over something as trivial as a verbal dispute. It tends to be that FreeSoul like to fight for their answers, but some of the best teachers and dreamers that I have met are ones who shun physical combat and seek to learn things from others rather than beat on them. It turns out that most dreamers whose goal is total control over the entire dream or the most control over dreamers tend to contribute the least to the dream. There are many examples of this, some teachers, some rulers, some freespirits, some elders or members of the Kabal. All of these people can contribute freely, but they choose to try and have everyone contribute to them. These dreamers are the ones who should be shunned, and approached with caution since their goals are self-serving, and less likely to provide any benefit to any dreamers other than to themselves. The nice guy can contribute much, and will be sought out more as a potential student than someone who loudmouthed and talks a lot of crap. Some dreamers aren�t willing to look at things beyond their tiny little universe they create for themselves. Some dreamers feel that things do not affect them, and therefore should not be of any concern. Almost every dreamer is guilty of this to an extent. Freespirit, house-member, and non-member alike all think that their little world is exclusive to anything and anyone. Dreamers who are freespirits tend to think that the actions of houses have no bearing on them, and some houses think that the actions of freespirits have no bearing on them. What most dreamers do not understand is that there is a balance to everything in Underlight. Houses, Freespirits, FreeSouls, Illuminates, Teachers, Students, Elders, Dreamseers, GateKeepers, FateSenders, SoulMasters, Daymares, Darkmares, Dreamsmiths� all these factors in the dream maintain a certain balance that affects everyone and everything. Some dreamers have the arrogance to think that one can be self-maintained without the other. Some groups are hypocritical enough to think that what others do is not their concern, and their actions are not the concern of others. Remember that everything and everyone should be taken into account. Everything is a variable, when you look at the raw facts.