Escapism is often seen with negative connotations. This being that someone who is seeking to escape from “reality” is unhappy, depressed and unmotivated to participate in what most people call the real world. The oxford definition is “the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.”
However I want to open this up through an alternative thought so that escapism can be seen as breaking free from the system that we are currently living in. The type of escapism that is being described above is when someone is trying to escape within society. This could be through video games, entertainment, sex, drugs and acohol. It is easy to see how these can be seen as negative as they are not a long term fix for the unhappiness that you are feeling. These activities will suppress your feelings even deeper which subsequently will make you feel even more unhappy.
The type of escapism that I want to explore goes outside the realms of society. An escapism that disconnects us from the way we are somewhat told to live our lives and connects us with the real truths. If we strip everything away from society, we are simple and autonomous beings. Humans can survive by themselves, being hunter gatherers so the superficial meanings of society can be disregarded and the truths can be found within nature.
The reason that I am exploring this idea is that I find the concept of our economically driven society weird and I think that the meaning of life has been distracted by a capitalistic driven one. The way that I live my life has already pointed me in a direction of escaping the mainstream society that we live in. The reason being is that I find true happiness and contentment in the natural world, and for me, that connection has far more meaning, answers and direction.
The body of work that I want to create going forward is going to explore my escapism into a mental and physical world of contentment and true happiness. The natural world as it is around us and my exploration through it to deepen my connection and build further direction of meaning going forward.
Paul Christener,