Escapism
Date Posted: March 12th, 2010
Kitty reads book to avoid trying new foods...
We all know escapism is bad. When you’re reading a novel so you can avoid doing your taxes, that’s bad. When you’re reading blogs instead of writing for your own blog that’s bad. When you’re giving your spouse attention to avoid doing housework that’s bad. When you’re doing housework to avoid your homework, that’s bad. Anything you do so you don’t have to think about what you ought to be doing is escapism, and escapism of that sort is bad. Avoiding the things you have to do in your life does not lead to good things.
What’s interesting is that under different circumstances these activities wouldn’t be escapism. Most people don’t think giving their spouse attention is ever a bad thing. Scheduling time to catch up on your favorite blogs isn’t always a time waster. Watching TV can be a good form of recreation.
Virtually no activity is inherently escapist, and just about any activity can be escapist. Family can be an escape from work. Work can be an escape from family. Housework can be both something to avoid and something to help you avoid something else.
You’ll read on lots of blogs that you should “stop reading and go DO your thing“. It can be a bit disconcerting. Is it bad to read and plan? Is action the only good thing?
Methinks these experts are addressing people who are using “good” activities to escape from the stuff they have to do. This is a bad practice because it demeans the activity. You aren’t doing the activity because of it’s worthwhile-ness. You’re doing to avoid something. The worthwhile-ness of the activity just makes you able to rationalize your doing it instead of what you don’t want to do.
Your spouse won’t like it if you’re giving him/her attention so that you don’t have to fold laundry.
Look at how you spend your time. What worthwhile activities are you doing to escape from some part of your life? What “not so worthwhile” activities are you doing because you love doing them?
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