Every so often, someone informs me that I need to be more “realistic.” This is usually presented as helpful advice, much like a tax audit or a root canal. The assumption seems to be that reality is a fixed thing that exists independently of all observers and that sensible people should immediately surrender to it. I’ve always found this curious. Reality, as it is commonly described, appears to be little more than someone else’s concept. More often than not, it is the consensus opinion of a group. And when was the last time a group consensus did anything particularly wonderful for the individual? Groups tend to like conformity. Creativity, on…