Fantasy

Can there be anything more fun than immersing yourself in another world? Just let the images of another place, a different time, and new people fill your mind and crowd out the problems of your current existence. "The true horror of existence is not the fear of death, but the fear of life. It is the fear of waking up each day to face the same struggles, the same disappointments, the same pain. It is the fear that nothing will ever change, that you are trapped in a cycle of suffering that you cannot escape. And in that fear, there is a desperation, a longing for something, anything, to break the monotony, to bring meaning to the endless repetition of days." -Albert Camus. Life, reality, the present moment, all hard pills to swallow at certain times. Were we really meant to not escape from it? "Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?... If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and take as many people with us as we can." - J.R.R. Tolkien

The fantastic things that people imagine need an outlet. Engineering, inventing, writing, and art —all tools used to bring people's ideas into the world, where they can be useful to humanity. "The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is- it's to imagine what is possible." - Bell Hooks. All our great inventions started as a fantasy and a belief that the fantasy could be brought to life. "All great acts of genius began with the same consideration: Do not be constrained by your present reality." - Leonardo da Vinci. Fantasy can set people's minds on fire. It facilitates creative problem solving, and unlike our reality, in a world where anything is possible, there is always a solution. We need the hope that this type of thinking inspires in us, especially when we are young, vulnerable, or powerless. "Albert Einstein was asked once how we could make our children intelligent. "If you want your children to be intelligent," he said, "read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." - Neil Gaiman.

Escaping into fantasy is relatively harmless compared to other forms of escape such as drugs, gambling, or alcohol. That does not mean that it can't be abused. If living in a fantasy causes you to shirk responsibilities, ignore real people that need attention, or keep you from taking care of your health, then it's time to pull yourself back into reality. That being said, there are many intelligent ways to use fantasy to your advantage. You can strategically use your imagination as a psychological tool for changing your identity. This is a "fake it till you make it" or "think it into existence" way of mentally creating a different version of yourself. Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich, explains: "Organized Planning- Everything created begins in the form of desires which are taken into the workshop of the imagination for proper organization and planning." The process is similar to the process used to set goals, but involves fantasy role-playing. First, pick the character you would like to be. Next, imagine their behavior, how they look, how they speak, what mindset they have; then start acting like them. "First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do." - Epictetus. It will feel foreign or even wrong at first, but repetition will rewire your brain, and you will become the type of person you are focusing on. The process must be rooted in reality, though. To imagine yourself as a tall person when you are short might be a lesson in futility.

Fantasy has and will remain a popular way to escape the problems of life. "If we are to make reality endurable, we must all nourish a fantasy or two." - Marcel Proust. Reading about the trials that fictional characters go through and how they overcome them helps us face our own challenges with courage and optimism. Knowing that our favorite character overcame great odds can help motivate us to go on, to continually try to improve, to help encourage others, and to be better humans overall. The ideal of any person, place, or thing is a fantasy, rarely seen come into its perfection in reality. These ideals need to exist to give us hope. "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman, Coraline. Go ahead and take the time to read, watch, or write fantasy. Use it to solve the problems that seem to have no end or solution. Just because something might not be possible now does not mean that it won't be in the future. You could be the one who brings it forward into the collective reality, where other minds can take hold of it, wrestle with it, and figure out how to make it work. Encourage people around you to use fantasy answers to "what if" scenarios, and you may be surprised at their answers. Let's let fantasy pull us from the mundane and hopelessness into the realm of possibility and hope. 😄

Love and Hope,

Big Sky Baby