There are some words that have bad connotations bestowed upon them. We’d argue some are deserved, like the evils of “murder”, “adultery”, “saturated fat”, or “LA Clippers.” (I had to take a cheap shot at SOMEONE, and it’s unlikely that either Clippers fan will ever read my blog…)
Escapism, however, often gets a bad rap, and I don’t think it’s deserved. While there are definite forms of destructive escapism, that’s true of almost any virtuous thing. Avoiding population overcrowding is a great idea — genocide to accomplish that is not.
What is escapism you ask? Well, it’s any form of subversion from reality. It could be reading SciFi/Fantasy books. It could be using illicit drugs. It could be daydreaming. The idea is that it gets you mentally and/or physically away from your present situation.
I have a high stress job. I like to escape into many different worlds as a little vacation. *This* is one of those worlds. I explore my thoughts and the thoughts of others in the blog world. I also read a lot. I tend to read Fantasy, but more recently I’ve been drawn to hardcore Science Fiction. Is it wrong to escape from the drudgery of reality? Since cocaine and Asimov are both vehicles to escapism, does the former make the latter wrong by association?
I urge you to escape once and a while. Stepping out of the daily grind for a bit offers perspective that you just can’t get while in the thick. Read a book. Watch some TV. Play some Warcraft. Comment on my blog (or others, that was a shameless plug). Write something.
I’ll see you all later. I’m off to explore the ring-shaped alternative to a dyson sphere. I’ll bring you back a tasp.
Some of this was a bit over my head, but what else is new. I don’t think that relaxing through entertainment is bad HOWEVER I do think that fantasizing can be wrong and, depending on how frequently it is done, can be dangerous. There are those whose occasional fantasizing became a time consuming reality. So in my opinion, relaxing to a good book or tv or games, is absolutely fine and even healthy. Fantasizing, not so much. 🙂
Check out Josh’s blog (Puritan Soul) to see a quote that reminded me of this entry. It is more fitting to what he likes to relax doing (reading books by dead people) but it still related non-the-less.
Thanks for the visit Shawn. I’ve been very lax at catching up on blogs and even more lax on commenting.
I like this post. We all have stress of work, worry of bills, health, loved ones, etc. One of my favorite escapes is to strap on the headphones and go for a walk. I find when I get moving, listen to some music that I like (be it heavy, cheesy or light & fluffy for my mood at the moment) it makes me feel good and lets me leave the crap behind for a while. A good hockey game never hurts either.
Donna,
Like most things, I think there’s always a balance. There’s definitely a point where vacation becomes unhealthy (Like World of Warcraft addiction, etc). It’s up to us to determine that healthy level. PS: I love you!
Thanks for reading Carrie,
Your comment makes me wonder if you pick music for your mood, or dictate your mood by music. I wondered out loud about it here too. Thanks for visiting!