On Fantasy (& Self Preservation in the form of written opinions)

This post is something I've been meaning to do, and something I wished I'd be doing my entire internet-savvy life. I am going to put some of my forum responses that have been especially wise or insightful. Posting on a forum, interacting with people on a specific topic, with a wide enough audience to get many perspectives, yet in a format that allows an opponent to think thoroughly through their position to answer intelligently, allows- nay, encourages- great depth of expression, and is very revealing, both to yourself and others.

Without further ado-

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What makes any fantasy world more interesting than the real world? There are no brighter colours there. There is nothing new there. It is merely a distortion of meaningless parameters of the true world.

Only a fantasy world could be as uniform as you describe; the real world is richly diverse, beautiful, terrible, dark, bright. But what is more, meaning is only found in the real world.

I despise any form of escapism that I ever find myself participating in; I cannot imagine the mentality of one who willingly indulges in such a lifestyle.

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I received a response, to which I responded-
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The expression of meaning is, itself, meaningless, unless it compels you to change "in the real world", or is expressed to others in the real world, so as to change/affect others. Practical & meaningful are not necessarily interchangeable; I wouldn't call myself practical at all times, though I recognize the wisdom of concerning yourself with practical applications. I am, however, infinitely concerned with meaningfulness.

The large majority of the world is not globalized. Even though I live in the US, in a prosperous city, my city is beautifully messy and unique- there are thousands of hidden gems to find, active culture, and always things to do. I recently bumped into a group that plays 4 way chess twice a week at this nice coffeeshop downtown, at 2am. That's just one recent example.

Perhaps Scotland is too limited a sample of the world, is what I'm getting at.

You say this world seems dead, and talk of beautiful cities in the fantasy world- yet all I can think to myself is how much more I'd rather experience the beauty of Paris, Rome, Beijing, the Grand Canyons, Angel Falls, Anchorage, etc., than just read about/look at an artists' rendering of a fabricated world that, honestly, I do not believe compares with the rich hues of nature.

I really think it's all a problem of perception. What you paint as "the real world" is much more dark and fantastically boring a place than is really there. You say there is no struggle in our world, yet wars are fought all around the world; single mothers in poverty are out there every day living the most dramatically wearing lives you can imagine; everyday out there is someone who is having their world turned upside down. Every single day, thousands upon thousands of people suffer a painful death of someone close to them. Every day someone finds hope, every day a child of destiny is born. Every person has a life story that is worth hearing, has struggles, heartbreaks, and victories that make their life worth hearing. All the things that are worth finding in a fantasy are really more readily available, and more attractive, and, simply, meaningful in the real world, in our world. Because at the end of the day, we are alive. We hurt. We love. The fantasy world is but a pale imitation of our true, living earth.

To see the world any differently seems a delusion; yet, I guess, a shameless escapist cannot be bothered by such a problem. Delusion is the rule of thumb to such a mind, and it is not a problem.

From: http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?p=6449
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More to come in this series later.

.L