Three Possible Paths To Reality PDF Version
The escape from reality begins at birth. In the beginning, fantasy leaves reality in the dust. Early on, the reality gap gets wider and wider. Normally, reality catches up with a person several times during a lifetime. That occurs for a number of reasons. It can be a natural disaster, an act of war, divorce or any number of emotional upheavals. The propensity to fantasize is strong and relentless.
In the end, reality catches us all. Since reality is the way it is, and fantasy is a false but appealing alternative, the motivation to escape is always with us. In the end ,reality catches up and we all face what nature has in store.
Various religions, through faith , can provide hope and comfort for their believers. We are concerned here with the secular world system. Outside of faith, there is no way to protect oneself against the awful rigors of the secular world.
When dealing with reality, a person has three paths which are possible to follow. None of these choices are made consciously, at least not in the beginning. The institutional approach is the path of least resistance. It is the path that is most often followed. Public schools play a huge role in spreading fantasy through the population. In school , children learn that cooperation is the way of the world. That is fantasy. Children are taught that problems are solved through group cooperation and group effort. That is fantasy. Children are taught that patriotism is always good. That is fantasy. Children are praised for adopting arbitrary loyalties, like “my school”, “your school”, “my team” and “your team”. Students learn to perform for approval.
Self esteem matters out of proportion to everything else. Government is constantly alluded to as a benevolent institution filled with selfless servants to society. That notion is completely false. Public schools serve as a good example, but all institutions contribute to creating fantasy. When children go home, they learn more fantasy from their parents. This is the institutional approach to reality. Fantasy is learned through institutions and other people, mostly older people. Institutional fantasies are dangerous. When life is based on what is not true, life gets real comfortable. The natural forces of nature continue. Life’s institutions, especially government, become more fragile and everything starts failing.
In Germany during the thirties, institutional fantasy was that the Aryan race was superior to all others. The end result was the loss of millions of lives and the complete destruction of Germany. Over time,economic and political systems become unstable. When reality imposes itself, the consequences are sudden and brutal. This is what happened with the Great Depression and World War II. We are on the verge of a serious reckoning at this time.
The second approach is for the individual to create a personal reality. Perhaps you have heard someone say they choose to believe this that or the other. That is a personal way of avoiding the truth by replacing it with a comforting notion. Here are some examples: “I choose to believe in the goodness of mankind”. “I choose to believe that he or she is telling the truth”. “I choose to believe in the integrity of the Supreme Court”. There are countless ways a person can choose fantasy over reality. Whether spoken aloud or adopted as a belief - it is a fantasy.
The last method that can be adopted is the version of reality that nature provides. So, what does nature provide? To take this option we must accept what we see just by looking. All forms of life including humans are subject to laws of dominance and subservience. Nature provides only one universal incentive: self - interest. Those are the two big ones. Dominance and subservience, then self - interest. All human beings posses the false belief of being special. Feeling special causes us to believe others see us as special also. Perhaps we are special to a few who know us personally.
The feeling of being special leaves us vulnerable to others who believe they are special also. Reality is that others see us as a resource. This is especially true with respect to elected representatives. Anyone can know what reality is and make the choice to give up fantasy. When that choice is made, one is no longer looking at the world through the prism of fantasy. It is a great way to lose friends. You will be right and your friends will be wrong. They will resent you and defend their fantasies with a vengeance. Being fantasy - free doesn’t make you smarter. It does make you use what you do know more effecently.
A complete moron who has accepted reality will perform at a higher level than a genius who chooses to believe lies. How do you decide? Believe lies or go fantasy free. There are trade-offs. If understanding the world you live in is important to you, then reality is the way to go. If maximizing pleasure and avoiding conflict is all that matters, reality will only make you unhappy. It is a personal choice.
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