Reality, Who Needs It?

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 the other hand, usually begins with somebody looking at the group and saying, “I think you’ve all missed something.”

Most of the things we now call progress began as ideas that were considered unrealistic. New music. New technology. New philosophies. New ways of living. Somebody always had to ignore reality long enough to create a new one.

The funny thing is that reality is remarkably temporary.

Every crisis is supposedly permanent until it isn’t.

Every trend is destined to last forever until next Tuesday.

Every expert is completely certain right up until the moment they aren’t.

As I sing in Yesterday’s News:

“Every crisis has a rhythm, every panic has a cue. They build it up to feel like forever, then replace it with something new.”

That seems to be the operating system of modern life.

One week we’re told to panic about one thing. The next week it’s something else. The old catastrophe quietly becomes yesterday’s news.

So perhaps reality isn’t quite as solid as advertised.

Maybe it’s more like a story that people keep revising.

The advantage of recognizing this is that it gives you options.

If reality is partly a story, then you can participate in the editing process.

You don’t have to accept every label you’ve been given.

You don’t have to remain trapped in every mistake you’ve made.

You don’t have to keep rereading the same chapter because somebody else insists it’s the important one.

You can write a new story and take it to press.

You can edit yourself right out of that mess.

Reality will continue doing whatever reality does. Markets will rise and fall. Experts will disagree. The next big deal will arrive right on schedule.

Meanwhile, there are songs to write, stories to tell, worlds to build, and adventures to have.

And if that isn’t realistic enough for somebody, they’re welcome to keep reality all to themselves.

I’ve got work to do.