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Originally Posted by Alphapheemail
Ok so all points considered...
I see the joy that reading showers the reader with, and the art form, and the significance to one's intelligence, and the plethora of other forms of escapism.
But I still can't shake off this feeling that I can't handle life. That I'm too weak so I need to escape... maybe it's true. And so what! I think I'd rather escape in the tale of a brave 6 y.o. than drugs or the search for Paris' new BFF, both of which will eventually damage my capacity to absorb said tale. So one thing is for sure, if i plunged into drugs/Paris's enthralling life the same way i plunge into books I would certainly not be talking to you guys right now. ( Sorry I am thinking in typing form, and I may have answered my own question, but I'd still like to know what you guys think!)
Then I start thinking of the ancient Greeks and what would be their form of escapism, and I think that was how philosophy and mathematics came about. People trying to find something to do other than thinking about the mundane and boring.
Thoughts?
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Escaping from reality is an integral part of what makes us human. There is a need for us to step outside the reality which limits us. In some cases, that escape can come from invention... but for most of us, it will come through distraction... distraction found in reading, watching TV, listening to music (or playing it), dancing, etc. All of them are activities that take us away from the central day to day struggle to get by. The escape can energize us and renew us so that when we return to reality, we are more ready to face it.
As for the Greeks, and other early civilizations and even amongst precivilized (using this strictly to mean people who have never developed permanent settlements, i.e. cities) peoples, storytelling is an important aspect of their culture. It allows them to escape the reality of their day to day to lives.
Another thought I just had is this; the stories we read in books, see in movies and in Television often play a huge role in who we are. You can be quite sure that what you read, particularly when you are young, helps make you who you are. The ancient people understood this very well. Its why often their masterpieces were epics... If you want your son to be a hero, tell him stories of Achillies, Odyesseus and Aneas...
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Bill