What is real?

have you ever imagined what would happen if we pushed ourselves to use our entire brain power? What would we discover? Even with the small amount of 9% we have reached so many fascinating speculation and conundrums, such as our own consciousness. I have recently watched "Inception", a wonderful movie, because it's theme is something I have always held dear to my heart, dreams. I have found myself asking many times how is it that once can be so sure, so certain that one reality is real and the other is not. What is real? What does that word describe?

Real:

1. existing or happening as or in fact; actual, true, etc.; not merely seeming, pretended, imagined, fictitious, nominal, or ostensible
2. 1. authentic; genuine
   2. not pretended; sincere
3. designating wages or income as measured by purchasing power
4. Law of or relating to permanent, immovable things: real property
5. Math. designating or of the part of a complex number that is not imaginary: all irrational and rational numbers are real numbers
6. Optics of or relating to an image made by the actual meeting of light rays at a point
7. Philos. existing objectively; actual (not merely possible or ideal), or essential, absolute, ultimate (not relative, derivative, etc.)

How can you be certain of something being real? I have had many dreams that feel real, seem real. It is as if they have a whole existence of their own. This is a dangerous area to play in. I have found myself to become confused to easily by the question I ask. Is it because I am easily persuaded by my own doubts? Is it that I need to believe in magic and marvel rather than a real existence where everything can be easily explained with scientific words?

I think I prefer to live in a borderline existence where my dreams have their own life and feel and my non dreaming state also has its right to exist without questioning.

I recall one dream I had recently. I was on a boat, a massive cruise ship type boat, made entirely of wood. And within the boat there were rooms were one could experience a sinking ship. I recall feeling wet . I remember touching to moist wood and smelling the water, the moss, the wood, my own clothing. It was so real.

Could it be that if we actually were capable of using our entire brain power our consciousness could live within ourselves? Could we actually become our own universes without experiencing each other? Would we still then be united by a  innate, basic, fundamental commonness? How would we build our own existence within ourselves if we have not had the change to experience life outside of ourselves?

And another question, is consciousness only achieved through having a physical presence? Or is it also a condition that pure energy may have? Is light conscious? Maybe these are all just stupid questions....I just had to ask.