If we are to consider all of the things in life that are looming over us—global warming, the housing crisis, rising inflation, wars, famine, natural disasters, overpopulation, etc.—we’ll very quickly get overwhelmed by the increasingly blank picture that the future paints for us. So we run. We look the other way.
But maybe our avoidance of the burning issues at hand is what’s caused it to get this bad in the first place. So today, let’s touch on just the tip of the iceberg of the dystopian present day we are living in. It may not seem that bad! But the more you read the posts shared by the subreddit r/boringdystopia, the more you may realize how bad we’ve let things get. And yet, it’s not even that interesting, all things considered.
In many cases in life, dealing with problems head-on is the only way to get things to change, be it for the better or worse. After all, change is inevitable regardless of how much we want things to stay stable and undisturbed. However, there is only so much that each of us has control over, especially when it comes to problems that are far-reaching and globally concerning.
To protect ourselves from the unrelenting pressure and the constant gnawing feeling of doom, we escape. We look the other way. There are two things that coexist in the matter of escaping reality, and Michael Patanella identifies them as avoidance and dissociation. Both offer temporary relief when taken in moderation, but of course, this can get out of hand easily.
The coping mechanisms that come with escapism can be destructive and unhealthy, even in the short term. Cheap alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, overeating, endless mind-numbing activities, and easily available credit cards that lead to holidays, mindless purchases, and debt are just a few of the ways people choose to avoid the problems they face.
As stated by Amanda Dacquel, when we avoid, we live on a repeat loop, until we hit a wall at full speed, with a poster on it that says “the real world.” Responsibilities will catch up to us in one way or another, so it’s best to use the tool of escapism in small increments to help restore our batteries rather than numbing us away from existing in the chaos that is life.
For those of us who are a bit too comfortable with escapism, there are ways of getting out of the continuous cycle of mindless pleasure and avoidance of responsibility. According to Patrick Allan, enforcing the “real life-right now” rule may be a good place to start. The more fun you make real life seem, the less you may feel the need to escape it.
Meeting up with your friends instead of blowing them off to play a video game, for example, is essentially substituting one positive experience for another. Just make sure the real-life thing is something you at least think you will enjoy, otherwise it could send you crawling back to escapism. Furthermore, realizing what you’re trying to escape from and why is key to grounding yourself.
But now we enter the phase where we’ve stopped running away from the problems and come to realize what a mess life is. Can we really prevent the current-day dystopia from spreading further, ruining lives and potentially making us go extinct? According to Duncan Jefferies, the one way to stop sleepwalking towards it all is through an informed citizenry. A what?
He continues to argue that teaching critical thinking in schools and having researchers work across different disciplines so that they’re better prepared to tackle the ethical questions that will shape the 21st century, are ways to achieve this. We need more dialogue between the people working on new technologies and the policymakers who create the laws around them, as well as greater openness about the risks.
Essentially, stay informed and trust the lawmakers to do the right thing. Grand. Guess it’s time to unionize and protest against the system. Just a thought.
As a dystopic future looms over us and lawmakers become complacent, forgetting to look at the bigger picture, we must remain vigilant and remember that the shape of the world is in our hands. What we do matters and, truthfully, the sheer number of us doing a little every day can lead to something very substantial in a little bit of time. If there is a livable planet in the next 50 years or so that is…
As you continue scrolling through this depressing list, make sure you upvote the ones that are the most important, most shocking, and most… well, the most. Leave some comments, especially those that could restore some faith in humanity, and I shall see you in another, hopefully, happier article!
