How Real Is The Real World?
Perception-wise — very real. The dream world seems far off into the distance while real world remains front and centre. I want to challenge that ideal.
‘Not getting a taste of the real world until now is a shock to the system. For years coddled away from the harsh truths, of course it’s a shock. But are the dreams that far away? I think not.’
People have dreams, right?
We’re not all programmed robots whose instructions are to go to school, university then get a job and get married and have children?
Surely.
I mean, Martin Luther King Jr had a dream.
Quite a defining one too.
One that would set a standard and finally rest on motivational Instagram pages.
Some would call it a steep decline, but the dream existed and although may not be fully realised all these years later — evident progress made.
The same with the suffragettes.
People have dreams.
There is a certain comfort with the filtered reality. We feel a sense of belonging and understanding.
You can complain to your colleague and know that you won’t have to worry about boring them because they’ll be experiencing the same thing.
There are all sorts of comforts in life.
I much prefer to write this blog at home than anywhere else.
A comfort which I can’t always satisfy.
The real world is very real. The problems that exist in society, in the environment and in people’s individual lives are stark.
Not to be ignored or drawn over at all, but dreams are equally as real.
The real world is designed to pick the fittest and reward them for their bravery to a certain sect of society.
In a capitalist world, it’s the person or people who generate the most wealth, with no concern to any other spoke of the wheel.
In a socialist world, there are no supposed ‘winners and losers’. Everyone is equal. So everyone wins? Not quite, but that’s the idea.
There’s a new world forming itself between the lines.
The social capitalist. The millennial capitalist, if you will.
A generation who needs to make money to survive but is more inclined to spend their money ethically and responsibly.
Money is a hard commodity to come by, especially with the economic climate in the UK. Houses are hard to buy and no-one wants to be in debt.
The first rule of being an adult is to stay afloat.
That’s especially difficult when you only learn the tools on the job.
I think the real world tends to play tricks on us.
The bills, the work, the struggle is real.
But it’s the same as thinking that you’re worthless when you’re actually worth something.
It’s a perceived threat.
Yes, it’s important to stay on top of yourself but it’s a life for enjoying and indulging.
Not everyone is going to be an entrepreneur.
People will live ‘normal’ lives.
Enjoying yourself, partying or whatever you want to do is the best. As long as you don’t complain to others who aren’t on the same wavelength.
Those who chase dreams, and actually have ambition to achieve them in their lifetime, are usually on another planet most of the time.
Very selfish and, dependent on goal, will make it difficult to be around.
That’s the dreamworld. It makes you alienate others around you.
Arguably, I would be in that category, especially this year.
And after years of being the opposite, it’s a refreshing change.
I do still think I’ve tried to help anyone and everyone who I could help.
I just took this year to explore that dream world and see where it put me.
The truth is, I’m not entirely sure if it’s put me ahead or just closer to a crossroads.
As I continue to work it out, it will become clearer.
There’s something very strange about the real world, the lack of time that encompasses it and the broadening of options.
It feels empowering yet restricting at the same time.
While feeling a level completion, you feel a sense of hitting your head against a wall that won’t break.
The real world and the dream world sometimes coalesce.
They sometimes draw upon the ideas from the other, twist them and adapt them to the audience.
That’s when you’ve ‘made it’.
But who wants to actually ‘make it’, that’s scary because the future is then completely unknown.
I’m sure some of us will make it there one day, and find a new task to conquer.
Millennials have the best chance to join the real world and the dream world for longer.
We can live our lives in both.
So how real is the real world?
Depends how often you dip into the dream world and if you think the two worlds are all too different in the first place.