Imagination is a wonderful thing. It allows us to envision and create ideas before they exist in reality. It is a powerful personal and collective tool. However, imagination can also go awry. All of these imaginings aren’t always good or accurate.
Recently, I read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It is about a fictional dystopian world where people spend the majority of their time in a virtual reality. The lines begin to blur between what is real and fake.
In my latest blog post, I talked about the individual and relational impacts this can have on a person. Spending time in a virtual world can warp a person’s sense of self.
In my own life, I was confronted with an example of this. However, no virtual reality was involved. Just a simple computer game…
When Digital Accomplishments Feel Real
Two men I’ve known for decades illustrate this perfectly. Let’s call them Duncan and Nigel.
One day, Duncan was criticizing his friend’s supposed lack of mechanical skill. Nigel is rather bookish and extremely successful in his career; one which requires more brain than brawn.
When asked why he believed that Nigel isn’t good with machines, Duncan said that Nigel is bad at playing Flight Simulator.
Plot Twist
It just so happens, though, that Nigel is an actual pilot and Duncan isn’t. Nigel has flown Cessnas as a hobby for years.
Duncan knew this and valued his Flight Simulator skills more than Nigel’s real-world flying experience.
If I were Nigel, I would be annoyed with my friend. But Nigel is very good natured and non-confrontational.
Living in Your Imagination
How long can someone live in their imagination? Duncan’s theory was met with pushback, but I wonder how long he had internally held this belief.
We also see this pattern in romance scams, conspiracy theories, and other types of inflated self-assessments. Reality shows the person a very different, painful picture to the one in their mind. So people find comfort in an illusion.
When a person falls for a romance scam, for example, they often clash with loved ones who can clearly see it isn’t real. But the illusion is intoxicating. The believer will often defend it at great personal cost. Savings and relationships can be lost to maintain the belief. That is how attractive our illusions can be.
It usually takes tremendous effort for the situation to be seen with clarity.
Why This Happens
When we feel uncertain or dissatisfied, it’s easy to lean on our imagination as comfort. And when our life feels healthy and balanced, we don’t need those inflated illusions as much.
Balancing Imagination With Reality
Imagination can inspire, but it can also mislead- not only yourself but others as well. The key is knowing when to embrace imagination and when to confront reality. And to surround yourself with people who understand this as well, lest they pull you into their distorted imaginings.
So which of those two men do I trust with my life? Nigel, of course. And not just with flying.
Have you, or anyone you know, ever fallen for an illusion?
Messy Bun Book Lover
Read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
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