Science fiction and Fantasy are not a way to escape reality - but a necessity
Imagine
living in a world where science fiction was unknown and fantasy didn’t even existed. Imagine living
that life right now -right here- you cannot watch movies like Interstellar
, books like “Harry Potter” didn’t existed, you cannot comfort
yourself on weekend by watching animes like “Naruto” or “Death
Note”. Imagine how miserable your life would be , without those movies
and stories and novels and sketches that made your childhood lively and made
you who you are today. Imagine those things never existed. Would you be the
same you today as you are ? I highly doubt it. Some people dismiss science
fiction or fantasy as nothing but a juvenile form of entertainment - precisely
stated an easy way for escapism. At the first glance, it may sound totally true
but as we calmly think and restate the statement - the conclusion that hovers
around points to opposite direction.
Reality - as we perceive is a vague term. As
philosophers have argued for millennials, the concept of reality can be broadly
classified within two school of thought - Materialism
and Idealism. As believer of
materialism, the reality consists of matter and energy. All observable
phenomenon, including mind and consciousness arise from material interaction. However,
as per Idealism the most basic unit of reality is not material but conceptual.
So, the real world consists of both of these terms and to live a realistic
life, one has to master both of those curriculum. Those people who disregard
fantasy as just a way to escape have never really tasted the sweet nectar of
imagination. People who slander others as crazy for fantasizing, really are a
larva in cocoon who are yet to turn into a beautiful butterfly. These people
believe that imagination and form of imaginative artistry like fantasy and
science fiction are time-wasters, they don’t solve real world problems.
However, they solve many personal problems and that right there is a collective
form of sociological development. As
Gene Wolfe stated, “All fiction are fantasy. The fantasy genre is just more
honest about it”.
One way or other, people find a way to escape
from reality. World is quite a miserable place and it’s insane to be constantly
surrounded by reality all the time. One of the most common ways people
indulging in fantasy world is - Video Games .China, USA, Japan, France generate
revenue of about 3500 million US Dollar each year by playing video games. Video
game industry is expected to be worth 90 million billion US Dollars industry by
2020, from nearly 78.61 billion in 2017.
Sales of fantasy book has doubled since 2010. As from a presentation
given in May 2018 at Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s 52nd
Annual Nebula Conference. The sales were recorded as sales in NPD
Pubtrack, NPD Bookscan and Amazon e-Book sales. All these stats points
towards something - people are actually finding an way to escape reality , whether it be books, novels, movies or Video
Games. It’s not a trend, it’s a necessity in today’s world- to have a way to
escape reality. Just think, your cousin who just went through a break-up in his
relationship. He will certainly need extra care or love from his around ones.
If that’s not possible, he will seek a way to numb his pain - through various
ways. Among those different ways, Alcohol and excessive drug abuse always comes
first. Just imagine, a man is destroying his life by being an abusive drinker.
How wonderful would it be if he were to read a novel or watch a fantasy movie
where he would see character of his own type winning over the world. Wouldn’t
it make inspire him to be like his favorite character? Just imagine, you failed
in your examination. Now let’s expect that you want to surround yourself with
reality – do you listen to everything that’s “Real” ? The constant jokes of friends who poke you with your failures, your parents who
are completely frustrated with your results, your relatives who think you’re a
piece of wood. Are you able to live in peace with this real world ? I know
people should thrive and improve but they should also seek instances of
science-fiction and fantasy to transition into the state of well-being. Muriel
Rukeyser poetizes the fact we all know, “The world is not made of atoms. It is
made of the stories we tell about atoms.”
The best
fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive,
more real than real, for a moment at least. Fantasy elements always represent
various aspects of real-life. They have deep embedded messages everywhere. If
we study closely the elements of fantasy and science fiction - certain patters
emerges. Almost all of the stories, books, novels, movies, animations have a
relatable theme with charming settings. They all posses daring and desirable
character whom people prefer and idolize too. Being a human, it’s human nature
to be attractive towards good things. The fantasy stories reflect on the
present human condition and their movement towards truth and reality and people
have always loved them - simply because they reflect who they want to be in the
future. They view the science fiction and fantasy as a way to represent and
overcome our own personal fears, shortcomings and at times, need for escape.
Within escapism, lies the elements of reality, self-improvement and deep-seeded
truth.
Imagination,
creativity are assets as long as you know it’s real. The total eradication of
self and reality is not possible by mere imagination. Famous arts like “The
Last Supper”, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” have
inspired millions of people around the world. Books like “Harry Potter”
have taught people the importance of having a good friend. Animes like “Naruto”
has spread the moral lesson that everyone has a story - they’re not who they
are but it’s the consequence that made them so. Books like “The Alchemist”
have inspired millions to follow their dream no matter what. Douglas Adam’s
book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” inspired young Elon
Musk to strive for greater collective enlightenment – it was his inspiration to
build SpaceX. As we see there are numerous examples of what fantasy and sci-fi
has really contributed and continues to do so - it arouses hope in the world full of crisis, it
helps people dream when reality squeezes them from all the sides. It acts as a
thin string of hope that protects the whole of humanity.
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