Our dreams occur in a phase of sleeping called REM sleep, where eyes move quickly under closed lids. Dreaming appears to be common to all mammals, with the exception of the spiny anteater, also called echidna.
The echidna has a large convoluted prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain involved in strategic planning), larger in relation to the rest of the brain than that of any other mammal, even humans.
The theory suggests that this huge prefrontal cortex is used by the echidna to "react to incoming information in an appropriate manner based on past experience and to evaluate and store new information to aid in future survival". So the poor echidna is constantly overwhelmed by information, whereas we quietly process it in our sleep.
From an evolutionary point of view, however, REM sleep had to appear as a new mechanism, allowing memory processing to occur “off-line.”
I think this is where we are society-wise. We are echidnas. We are overwhelmed by information we cannot process fast enough. And we need to learn to dream to solve this.
Why is this true? I think a dream, moving from neuroscience to life, is a long-range plan. And information is "something that is useful". But useful for what?
Are you going to die if you don't learn how to use the next new gadget?
Are you going to be so ashamed you will not dare talking to your friends again if you fail a test?
Information is important, but value is something that badly needs being contextualized.
I personally don't like apocalyptic "the West is declining" talks. So what. We are getting poorer. Is this so bad? All polls show this "paradox" of poor countries having high rates of happiness in people. Is money making us happy? The answer is NO. Face it. Nor is "progress".
So stop talking about "us" and "them".
THERE IS NO "THEM"
This is the dream our echidna society needs to learn.