I admit, I am a dictionary reader. It seems like an uninteresting, rather pretentious pastime, but in fact it can be quite enjoyable. It tends to lead to unusual discoveries, such as the one that I made just this morning. According to the dictionary, there is a difference between “dreamland” and “dreamworld”.

Americans are aware of the difference between a “land” and a “world” thanks to Walt Disney, who had the incredible foresight to create a “Disneyland” in California and a “Disneyworld” in Florida. Chances are this was done simply for economic gain, but regardless of his motive, he has managed to educate an entire generation on the difference between a land and a world. Disneyland is nice, but nothing compared to Disneyworld, which is far bigger and better.

Now, you may be thinking “Ahh, I understand. A dreamworld must be far bigger and better than a dreamland!” This is only partially true. A dreamworld is larger, because it encompasses many more situations. Dreamlands are limited to those pleasing experiences and illusions; while to be a dreamworld, all that is required is illusion and fantasy. Just to make this even more fun, let us assume that dreamlands cannot exist inside a dreamworld. The question is now, which is better, a dreamland or a dreamworld?

Dreamlands are nice by definition, but nice is sometimes boring. My grandparents are nice, but that does not mean that I want to spend unlimited amounts of time with them. My friends, on the other hand, can be incredibly exasperating. I never know how the day will be; whether I'll have an intense time of enjoyment or a huge argument over some minute philosophical point. The diversity of the possible situations is what makes me look forward to being around them. They are people who would definitely disagree with me, and say that it is “way more cooler” to know that they are going to have a good time than to risk the possibility of coming away less than ecstatic. These are the type of people I refer to as the ones who will never have a fulfilled life and will be searching for their ideal world until the day they die or realize the futility of their actions.

So bring on the dreamworld full of monsters and man-eating bugs. Dreamland is simply not the place for me.