AUGUST 2 "ESCAPISM"

The term 'escapism' is reserved for those who take excessive time away from real life to the point at which they seem to be trying to escape from it. Traditionally regarded as extreme, escapism is in fact increasingly the norm for many people. In Japan, for example, the average household watches over 8 hours of television per day. Escapism is not defined by the behavior itself but the motivation behind it. Anything from sport to fashion to sex can become escapist activities. Certain escapist options are socially accepted, such as consumerism, celebrity worship, others are not, such as recreational drug use. Modern technology has brought digital culture - television, films, increasingly realistic computer games and virtual realities that provide escapist experiences with huge degrees of immersion. Means of escapism have become increasingly varied over the past few decades, but fascination in details remains a popular one. We interpret the popularity of escapism as an indication that people are unhappy with the lives they are leading - whether due to material deprivation or cloying over-consumption. We believe that friendship is the key to helping escapists - by encouraging them to think altruistically, it can break them out of their self-imposed prison and they can start living for real once more, enjoying their connections with others. Its root cause is an inability to establish meaningful relationships with other people in the real world. We interpret the popularity of escapism as an indication that people are unhappy with the lives they are leading.