"fantasy is what they want but reality is what they need" -- Lauryn Hill



I have been thinking about the music business and entertainment. I mean it’s normally all in my thoughts. I have been thinking "why is it so important to us human beings?" The one thing word that stands out to me is the word “escape” or more accurately “escapism”



I used to work a day job I hated, this is over a year ago before recession caught up with the company and I got laid off. It’s not that the job was bad, it was BORING and for someone like me with such an overactive imagination it made it 10 times worse. I wrote a lot of poetry, songs and raps and blogs while at that job (I was a market research executive) and that was how I “entertained” myself and “escaped” boredom. Thankfully I'm self employed right now and free from that though it's a hustle everyday.



That’s what entertainment does, there’s nothing wrong with escape and taking a break from one’s everyday life, we actually NEED it because it’s how we unwind and at the best of times get recharged and inspired. You might watch a great movie that fires up your imagination or hear some music that lifts you up. You then return to the task of everyday living feeling renewed (sometimes) or even with a whole new outlook on things (well possibly) You might even feel more alive.



This is my theory, deep down inside we sense that life is more than we can see, hear, feel, touch and taste and art at it’s best be it music, the theatre, movies or whatever reminds us of that sense of life being more. This can happen to you whether you believe in God or not. We all wanna get away from the mundane and everyday same ol’ same ol’ thing and break that monotony and even more so when life gets harsh. This is one of the reasons why the most frivolous and shallow entertainment sells more than what we consider “wholesome” That which has more content and truth doesn’t seem to compare with that which is pure fantasy and fakeness.



In some people’s minds the line between reality and fantasy is very blurry, some can’t even tell the difference. We’ve all heard of actors in soaps like “Eastenders” sometimes seen in public and people actually forget they play a created tv character and act like they are indeed the character and not a real person! Some have even gotten cursed out in public because they play the role of a baddie and folks seem to forget it is entertainment and not reality. It is make believe.



It’s from this point of view that I wrote the piece below.


“Escaping from Escapism”

We all want to be free, but isn't it amazing

How escaping through escapism leads you to seek

escape from escapism

it becomes another prison you seek to escape from

some seek escape in the club getting their groove on

some seek escape in the church getting their praise on

i've tried both and this is my conclusion

they can both be the same thing with Gods exclusion

reality is harsh, it overloads my senses

weighing down my heart weakening my defenses

when reality bites fantasy gets more alluring

but it really is a weak umbrella when the rain is pouring

I sought freedom in my spirit by loosening my flesh

but that only left my innerman gasping for breath

my guilt trip almost took me to a point of no return

I found out I was ego tripping I had to relearn

the truth I knew in my head and felt in my heart

the truth that molds and shapes my art

I love beauty because my world's been ugly

I've found Gods fingerprints all over the lovely, things,

people and moments I encounter on my journey

this road less travelled twists and turns me

this world like night is fallen but we keep on living

outside is dark

but in my heart the Son is risen