Escapism can be defined as an escape or diversion from everyday reality. In a recessionary period, the number of avenues to achieve escapism does not surprise me. People are looking to ease their anxieties, sleepness nights, fear, and tension in as many ways as possible. As a recent MBA graduate waiting to hear if I will be gainfully employed sooner rather than later, I have engaged in a fair amount of escapist techniques to ease my weary mind over the past 2 weeks or so.
I have read, gone to the movies, watched television, enjoyed a day at the spa, shopped, consumed many glasses of wine, changed living environments, cooked and cleaned, and slept. [Last night I enjoyed one of the first 10 hour slumbers I have experienced in over a year. For the past couple of months I have been going on 5 or 6 hours a night, driven by all that I wanted to accomplish the next day!]
This topic of escapism, which has become a guiding factor in recent media, is not a novel concept. In my undergraduate days I studied the artist Gaughin whose entire post-impressionist movement could be labeled as Escapism. He fled the art scene of Paris, financially destitute and unrecognized, and took refuge in Tahiti and a bevy of other tropical locales. While there he became engrossed in the primitive cultures and painted the native landscapes, culture, inhabitants, and wildlife in an ethereal light. Each of his paintings from this era represented exoticism and eroticism; a removal from conventional techniques and his departure from European colonialism. There are many other artists and engineers, architects and scientists who have discovered something great and exciting by departing from convention and escaping into an alternate reality.
Today, as I read the New York Times at a very crowded Starbucks, I read about various methods of more mindless escapism. Such non-productive diversion is a bit scary because it begs you to remove yourself, to enter a mindless state of distraction, and to cease productivity and participation. Film and television are key producers of this form of escapism. The box office, mainly churning out thoughtless blockbusters, is up 14.5% in comparison to last year. This Memorial Day weekend was no exception with $223 Million spent on ticket sales to such shows as Night at the Museum, Terminator, and Star Trek. Television studios are also gearing up for a fall line-up of shows that are meant to let the “recession-weary viewers laugh and feel better.” Consumers are looking for ways to check-out and the media is feeding them a worry-free product.
Looking back on the past two weeks pre- and post- graduation, I noticed my engagement in both forms of escapism. I removed myself from worry and entered a more or less mindless state made possible by rich Cabernets and citrusy Sauvignon Blancs. Around 10:00 PM each night I was in a carefree, social, giggly state of affairs that could not be tainted by any anxiety. However, I also participated in escapist techniques more in the style of Gaughin and his creative counterparts. I made an effort to change scenery to foster a sense of newness and mental awakening. I have slept in 4 different beds over 7 days: In South Bend, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Naperville. Each place representing a way of life that is a little different than the next. Ever the observer and analyzer, I believe that changing scenery and experiences keeps your mind inquisitive and thoughtful. I also continued to read newsprint media and books in an analytical mind frame, to question, probe, and continue my education.
Escapism works, and works well. However it only functions if it is used as a means to reorient your thoughts. Escapism works if the end product is increased creativity and effectiveness. One of my former bosses told me once that all I had to do was continue to work hard at whatever I was doing, and that eventually things would fall into place or unfold the way they were supposed to. I believe this to be true. In my state of productive escapism, which is how I define this phase of life, my day continues to start pre-sunrise and end in fatigue from doing all that I could that day. I believe that I will emerge with a greater sense of knowing, being, and achieving than before. I will be ready to take on the next challenge whether I get the job that I want, have to look for a different job, start writing the book that I always wanted to write, or have the guts to pursue the little comfort catering company that I printed cards for. My great escape over the past 2 weeks has produced many thoughts, confusions, and queries, and I believe in the next couple days will produce some solid answers.
To all escape artists out there, make your escape fruitful!
Lo
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