Embracing Escapism

Drifting away in my daydreams, I snap back to reality as the school bell signals the end of the day. This had become common place in my youth, as I have been a captive of escapism for as long as I can remember. For some reason, I always found the distant worlds that my imagination takes me to far more interesting than what reality had to offer. It was for this reason that I was always dubbed "a dreamer" by my early acquaintances.

For most people, escapism slowly fades from their lives as they mature and become entangled in the stressfulness of daily life. For some reason, I have not undergone this transition yet. And quite frankly, I don't ever want to.

I embrace escapism for everything it has to offer. It is my outlet, my liberty for the greyness and dullness of this world to one that takes me across seas and decades. Unfortunately, life gets the best of us, and we can easily get bogged down by how face paced life can be, therefore, I find it imperative to freeze time, chill out, and reflect. For me, retreating on a tree on a tree, sitting down and relaxing is what I consider the ideal escapist mechanism.

In my eyes, escapism comes into forms. The first being one which requires must contemplation, reflection, and imagination. In this flow of escapism, I am a student of life, out to learn about different worlds, cultures, and knowledge. The haven of this world of escapism is primarily my book shelf. Also, commuting far from the university to a tucked away cafe is the best environment to let my mind flourish with ideas and thoughts. In this environment, I conjure up a different reality, a reality where the worries of life vanish and all I see in my mind's eye is the waves crashing on the shores of a remote island in the Pacific, where I come to embody a castaway, where all is gone but the most fundamental necessities of my life: books, tea, music, incense, and my vast imagination. Only then can I consider myself completely emancipated from "life."

Realistically speaking, I realize that this fictitious world of mine is only a substitute and procrastination from action. The heroic classics that I devour take me to a world where it is possible for my idols to triumph over evil. I admit, unfortunately, that these are a mere childish substitute for the revolutions that bubble inside me, but they allow to express my deepest desires in a world where everything is possible. A lawless, boundless, and perpetual world of satisfaction.

The second form that escapism comes in is one of absolute freedom of thought. I only discovered this form of escapism yesterday subsequent to entering my first meditation/yoga class. For the first time of my life, I wasn't thinking for myself, but was being thought for. As we practiced several breathing exercises, the yoga instructor read aloud from a Buddhist scripture, "Imagine a candle, where you breathe in the warmth of the flame. Inhale as far deep in your belly as you can. When you come to exhale, imagine that you are breathing out this flame of love and compassion to all of those whom you love, and even those whom you may dislike. Share your warmth and love with the world." It was this exercise of physical breathing and the notion of love and peace that caused me such relaxation that I never fathomed was possible. I began to tremble with stress midway through the exercise. I was deeply stressed in life and had not known it until I was in a complete state of submission and meditation.

I found escapism to be the most effective form of sublimation the mind can offer. Whether it is a four hour reading session in a cafe, an hour of meditation, or a mere 30 second pause in life to close my eyes and reflect, I have found that in such a fast paced life where everyone is in a rush, one must counteract the natural tendency to be reactive, one must control his natural adrenaline rushes, and do the exact opposite. One must reflect, relax, and embrace escapism.