Delusions

"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." - Rose Kennedy


"If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging at your back and running its fingers up your spine, the best thing to do-- the only thing-- is run." - Lauren Oliver, Delirium
I'm not convinced that I agree with that, but it sure is poetic.


This post is dedicated to Elijah, for becoming my 20th official follower (cough haha rock4ever95 I now have more followers than you today is a momentous day cough).


Today in the midst of a daydream in the midst of 4th period (within a daydream, within a daydream, within a daydream), I realized that I was daydreaming, and wondered about it (as I am prone to do. Introspection is both a blessing and a curse, but that's another post entirely).


In my defense, it's something my dad and I were discussing on the way to school. I said "I'll just leave you to your delusions, then." He said "Sometimes that's all that gets me through the day."
Now, "delusion" has a bit of a negative connotation. However, there are both "good delusions" (henceforth referred to as either fantasies or daydreams) and "bad delusions" (the kind that make you kill people or convince you that you're a god).


At first thought, I'd consider myself a fan of living in reality. Living in the real world. But then I think "Hang on. I'm a writer who spends a lot of time reading and enjoys movies and TV who argues that it doesn't matter whether or not the top falls at the end of Inception."
So perhaps not as much.


Unless we're so totally immersed (such as while dreaming or in a virtual reality sci-fi thing) that it truly doesn't matter whether or not our delusion is reality, though, it's important to keep a handle on what is and isn't real. It might seem counter-intuitive, but I think the most dangerous daydreams are the ones that are close enough that they might happen, even if it's not actually terribly likely.


Example: A conversation with a friend who I'm going to see later that day is more likely than getting an A on my next chemistry test is more likely than getting my novel published is more likely than winning the lottery.
What's the most dangerous to daydream about? The chem test, because if I convince myself I'll get an A with 0 effort, I'm not likely to try as hard (although if I'm having said daydream during chemistry, odds are I'm not paying much attention anyway).


Even more dangerous still, though, is those sorts of daydreams involving other people. Because if you start attributing fictitious traits/likelihoods to real people, they're going to disappoint you (sounds like I've had a bad day- I haven't. Just a thought.)


So...keep your talismans with you, I guess. That's my Pretentious Teenager Advice For The Day.