Leaving our world for another, even temporarily, can give us the rest we desire from our busy lives. However, could there be a dark side to it? Escaping into another world can heal the mind, but can it also take control of it?
Gaming and reading are much more beneficial than doom scrolling, but only in moderation.
The Allure of Escapism (Why We Seek Other Worlds)
Sometimes we feel trapped in our day-to-day lives, and these worlds give us the freedom we need to just disconnect and actually do something we enjoy.
Lore-rich worlds provide that in-depth feel of actually being there. It’s fun to look into a world you already love and try to connect the pieces within it like a puzzle. What’s even more fun is discovering something within the world that you didn’t know before; it gives you that feeling of being the only one with this knowledge.
Escapism can be a form of self-care. Letting your brain unwind and rest. Like letting a computer file the day away in rest mode. Gaming makes you map out the world in your head, and reading makes you use your imagination. both of these are great for building those neurological connections in the brain, especially when learning something new.
When Escaping Becomes Avoidance (The Potential Harm)
Every virtue can become a vice if not done in moderation.
I like to game for an hour and read two chapters a day. If I do more than this, I feel like I am neglecting the responsibilities in my life. I end up feeling like I need to try to live life and get the same feeling out of it if I can. You can move on to another fantasy world, but not another real world.
There may be a time when one will be thinking in terms of the world that they were in while living in the real world. Thereby, confusing the two worlds instead of keeping them separate. This can distort one’s social interactions.
It can be unhealthy not to compartmentalize between what’s fantasy and what’s real. Going about your daily life, always thinking about the world you want to escape back into, instead of living life. I sometimes have a hard time going to sleep because I’m thinking about the next book or game I’m going to get into. Although I’d rather that keep me up than worry about the next day, but still we need our sleep.
Finding the Balance (Healthy Escapism)
We can use these fictional worlds to help us reflect on our own reality. Compare and contrast. Wish things were better and motivate us to make it so. Likewise, be grateful that our world isn’t as bleak or dreadful as some of the fictional worlds we get into.
Why do you escape? To rest, dream, or to hide? For me, it used to be to hide. Now I rest in these worlds and dream of a better tomorrow.
Try journaling about what you’ve read or played. Reflect on the situation and characters and on what you can learn from them. Use this opportunity to explore themes previously unknown to you, whether bleak or exciting.
Call to Awareness and Wonder
Be warned that too much of anything, even if it’s good, can turn into something bad. We could end up worshipping something created in our world instead of the Creator, our Lord and Savior, of it.
Games and books can be tools for us to recollect ourselves and grow. These tools must be used properly and not taken for granted.
What do you think about this?
I am going to transition to more lore-based posts on Sundays, rather than just reviews. Not saying I won’t do reviews, but just not as much. If you have anything you’d like me to cover, please reach out. If not, please reach out anyway and say Hi.
Stay tuned for Sunday: Currently Reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Part 2.
Digital Archiver signing off.
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