I was standing outside station 19 smoking a black pearl. From where I was standing I could see the portion of the strip that has all the heavy hitter hotels(Mandalay Bay to Bally's). I marveled at the site of all the lights a glitter, even from a distance. Yet I could not help but ask a question, Why?

Why do we as a humans pride ourselves on being real seem to do everyting we can to escape reality? From tobacco to alcohol to gambling to whatever. It seems that much of our time is spent escaping from what we percieve as reality. Of course there are countless reasons for doing what we do, but in the very back, when the questions of why keep coming most people state they're escaping. That's the reason Las Vegas exists, or alcohol, or what ever it is that takes us from our percieved reality. Of course that perception is different for each person, but so is the escape mechanism.

So, I ask.

If we pride ourselves on keeping it real, why escape?

Lance

Cuz sumtimes Reality Sux?

Hog

Then why is there so much emphasis(sp) on being real? We could pretend to be what we like, but if people see through that we would be shunned. Why?

Lance

first one must lay out what the definition of Real or Reality really is? what basis does one come up with their thoughts on that? and then break it down as you pointed out... Las Vegas as an example...

Hog

perception is reality.

and if we are all keeping it real all the time, we would NEVER have to say "just keepin it real." though, even if you say it, it does not mean you are really keepin it real. frauds, one and all.

Hog,

That is all true, yet it seems that defining real/reality is unneseccary since the escape mechanism is just as personaly individual.

To make this personal.

I seem to be very happy with my job, my wife, my kids, my belongings. If I am so happy, why have that drink to relax, unwhinde(sp), escape? It suggests to me that I'm not all that happy, that I'm lying to myself on some level. Which in turns means that I'm not living in reality, not keeping it real. So in turn then I think that maybe something needs to change, but I'm happy with all aspects of my life. You see the catch 22 here. Maybe there is something wrong with my logic.

Lance

It also seems that the same train of thought could be applied to most that find the need to escape.

Lance

How far can one escape.. before it is considered to be falling off the deep end? and where does one hit bottom?

everyone has their own tolerance level.. for reality sake in this day and age one drink, one six pack, one twelve pack does not put one over the edge accept for that moment in time.. say a 24 hr period.. then that person is not to handle the steering wheel, Hunting, or even a working capacity... same is said on the lable of Nightquel (sp) and other over the counter medications for colds... but yet I have been known to be on such over the counter meds and still produced in working capacity and had to drive to work to get the job done??

So like Burgess said Perception is Reality... Damned if you do and damned if you don't... but then again who is doing the Damning? now if your religious belief's has you looking over your shoulder while your slapping down a few twenty's on a blackjack table and ordering up that Double while eyeballing the long legged blonde playing 3rd base at the table... then your talking a complete and new ballgame? If it is just your moral and ethical Belief's then you've made it passed the weekend without getting noticed and things should settle down by Wed of the coming week.. life back to Norm!

Hog

But what is reality? The Australian pygmies believe that our "wake" time is actually sleep time, and "sleep" time is reality.....

Mark

Very good points, but....

I question the need to escape.

If I have the need or desire to escape, even if for that moment in time, does it suggest that there is something amiss?

Lance

Who tries to "keep it real"?

I don't. It just is.

I also don't really want to escape.

I can't.

Did someone put something in your cigar?

lsfire

you can be happy with your wife and kids and your job.

toby and i are married 42 years and we are never bored with each other.

my kids were a kick to raise. we did the disney land, the sea world, the zoo's and the camping and the traveling around the country, the boating, the fishing and anything we found to be fun, but we all took breaks away from each other.

toby would go shopping alone or visit her girl friends without the family.

i'd go to home depot to get supplies for a project i was going to do alone.

i created my own job and i enjoyed going to work every day. i worked sat and sun, because i was making money and having a blast, but i needed breaks from my job.

if you are single and your job is auditioning beautiful women who want to become porn starts, you need a break from your job.

if you taste chocolate as a job, you need a break from your job.

and when you are retired as i am, you will need a break from playing around where you live and go some where to change the scenery, your daily routine and eat at places that are different.

toby and i took one or two cruises a year for many years and went to vegas for a week a few times a year.

we got bored with cruises and started spending two or three weeks in vegas.

next month we are going to cruise again for a week and see if the original charm and pleasure from cruising return to us.

if you want to get biblical, even god took a break after six days.

My take is if you kept it real all the time, you'd snap.

And reality is subjective. If you took all your reality from say the evening news, you'd say reality is all politics, death, fraud and extremism.

If I chose that to be my reality, I'd probably want to check out one way or another every day.

My father in law did nothing but work every day and watch an occassional Packer game. Never had any other diversions. He figured when he retired at 65, he could add some diversions then..... he died at 58.

Because of that, I chose to have a little diversion everyday. Whether it chatting with you yahoos, playing Ocean with my three year old, or trying to get my wife to wear high heeled leather boots.... (guess I have to settle for 2 out of 3)that's just me keeping it real... sort of.

I don't have a problem with realism.......as long as I am REALLY drunk, catching REALLY big fish, on some REALLY warm island, on REALLY blue water, with a girl with REALLY bi....OUCH......ummmmm good morning Deanna.

That was sounding good there for a minute Andy. Don't worry, the swelling will go down eventually.

I think Andy WAS having a "swelling issue" as he described his fantasy beach girl, that's why his wife slapped him.

That's probably the real reality.

Don't get me wrong. Enjoy a good drink, a good smoke, a good women, warm beaches, and good ishing as much as the next person.

Last night though it crossed my mind also that in order to do the things I like it adds to my reality in order to pay for my escape. I wondered then if it would be easier to not escape.

I have come to a conclusion that escaping is not the correct term or train of thought. It is possible that these diversions are not really diversions after all just all part of the same reality even though we may state we need a break. I am still me no matter what I'm doing. I think that is the key, to always be yourself.

Lance

There you go. Escaping isn't a break from reality but a part of reality itself; more important to some than others. Some philosophies call the reality of escapism bad, others call it a virtue.

There is nothing more real than reality itself. Fun is reality, but of a different kind.

Think about this: "Escaping Reality" is a marketing ploy used to separate you from your money.

By convincing us that going to work everyday in crowded cities, or... living in a house with our wives and kids is somehow not fun, and yes, it can be "not fun" sometimes, they then try to convince us that our perception of reality is that life sucks and it becomes a necessity to escape.

What a convenient way to "escape reality". Come here and drop thousands of $ in our town.

When in reality, all they are doing is offering us an time and $ spending alternative to going home. Reality is life. Life is reality. Enjoy your life and reality will not seem like a bad thing.

Herfsnipe,

I have never considered that. What a revelation. When I think about it I can't even begin to count the many times a day not to mention over a life time one is subject to the idea, without it ever being spoken, that raising your family, staying married, working, and the so called daily grind is boring and we deserve more. That we are entitled to more than real life is a constant message in film, tv, books, radio, in every type of media.

Those bastards.

Lance