Escapism and How it Consumes
Have you ever tried to feel happy through watching a show? Have you ever used a movie to make yourself cry? Have you ever spent all the free time and/or breaks that you get on your phone, running one post after video after post? The chances are if you live in a bustling world, constantly working towards a goal, then you have. This “evasion” of reality and facts may fall into the category of escapism.
According to the American Psychological Association, escapism “may reflect a periodic, normal, and common impulse, as might be seen in harmless daydreams, or it may be evidence of or accompany symptoms of neurosis or more serious mental pathology.”
The line between escapism and healthy consumption is quite thin and turns dangerous easily. The thing, arguably, with when the classic, “You’re Always on That Phone,” argument is used, is that with this surge in fast moving media that hooks us in and wires us to seek that kind of sensory and visual information, it is not improbable at all that we lose sight of what’s healthy, and therefore lose touch with our reality, and displace our own emotions. The argument isn’t always unreasonable – its reason makes sense from the half-blind viewpoint of the people accusing, since most of the time they do not get to see or grasp what it really is that we’re engaging with on our devices and media. The argument isn’t always blunt and pointless, its insight into the possibilities. And, in all honesty, it would be convenient for us if it were in our hands to control our media’s potential effect on our brains. Maybe it is. But it turns hard enough that no one really tries consistently or tries enough or believes that they can stop. Makes it sound like addiction, doesn’t it?
It’s not too far from it, in fact. Practices like drug consumption, gambling, shopping and over-engaging with media are all things that have been proven to be addictive; all are sources of overindulgence and escapism. Escapism turned addiction is a desolate pain.
With media on the surge, it is, of course, one of the primary players in the escapism field. However, it doesn’t end there. Addiction to alcoholism and drugs can also be a form of escapism! So can these things: reading, listening to music, meditation, dancing and gardening. The latter items are forms of positive escapism – more of a breather than an addiction; a refuge, not a spiral. With the stress that pushes at us from pretty much every source possible, escapism isn’t harmful at all; in fact, it’s healthy and necessary for one to detach, occasionally, from all of... that. No one would really get anywhere if they didn’t dream.
As long as we’re grounded and aren’t using these sanctuaries to the extent that our ideologies and selves crumble, escapism makes sense. Religion and faith, too, have the characteristics of an escapist mechanism. They narrow down the overwhelming possibilities of what is happening across the globe and highlight what is important to the person according to the religion. But see, the phrase “narrows down the overwhelming possibilities” can be a double-edged sword. Narrowing down can lead to intolerance and overindulgence in your own world, and everything that doesn’t fit into this definition of how things just are overwhelms you and is seen as an attack against yourself, which culminates into a spiral of spite. This sort of escapism is why the situation deteriorates, pushing you into an apparently peaceful and warm hollow which is on fire on the outside, stinging anyone that comes near. And, of course, the hollow blinds you and isolates you. It makes one stubborn and uncritical, picking at a chord that stops ringing after a while. Yes, God can be an anchor. But if you don’t have a floating ship to keep yourself steady, it is also what will drown you.
As a psychologist once told me, meditation helps you calm down and ground yourself in the moment. But it ends there, in that moment and for some more. It turns out that turning the volume all the way down doesn’t mean there is no sound in the video. This analogy works for meditation and the whole escapism trap in general: meditation doesn’t
help you deal with and end the problems bothering you. So, techniques like meditation (overindulgence in them) also make you look away from your issues, not actually face them. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Yet, it leads to poor character, no development of real world and life skills, and in the case of people living with anxiety and depression, supplement them in a way that leads to them not seeking the help they need.
Escapism has followed people down through the nets of time for generations. Calgon, a bath and beauty products company, initiated an advertising campaign in the 1970s that spread excitement and relief through the masses like wildfire. The proposition was simple: have a hot bath with their products at the end of a tedious day. “Calgon, take me away!” was the ad’s tagline. This bears resemblance with the common daydream that has found its place in media and people’s hearts all over: running away, leaving the bustling city, slowing down, staying calm somewhere you can actually see the stars. The Calgon campaign displays how desperate people are to feel some form of relief after all that stress, pressure and constantly pushing themselves. And when all you do during the day is work and then more work, is breaking away from that hustle really unforgivable? Is taking out the time for yourself and what your soul wants wrong? Of course not. It’s healthy and necessary. It’s what gives us breathing room and respite until we are ready to enter the work cycle again. Freud, while calling escapism a psychic retreat, stated: “[T]hey cannot subsist on the scanty satisfaction they can extort from reality. ‘We simply cannot do without auxiliary constructions.’”
Which brings us to the conclusion: escapism is a painkiller that most need, but remembering which line not to cross is something not to lose sight of because the consequences work against you in your day-to-day life. Escapism is only a reflection of your dreams and wants, not your whole self. It is only a retreat until you can remember your name, your skin, yourself, and then get ready and prepared to actually answer the calls of your life gently.