escapism

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Imagine yourself sitting in a cafe on a rainy Wednesday night. The sound of cars treading through the water-filled streets accompany the music you are listening to through your headphones. Listening to escapism in this kind of scenario is my idealist form of escape. But all of which create and add up to my ideals is music. Through music, I am able to slip away from reality and enter a new, creative fantasy world.

While beneficial, escapism is oftentimes viewed in a negative light because of its impacts on the self that can be detrimental. Escapism can be viewed as something to slip into to avoid reality and run away from troubles and responsibilities. However, I am able to create healthy aspects of myself that allow me to escape without reaching far too deep that I develop a new reality.

Having music be a source of escapism is an unconventional topic, but is nonetheless relevant to every individual that listens to music. While listening to music, we often go to it to experience someone else’s own experiences, running away from ours. Music allows us to put on pause our lives, problems, and worries, to focus on someone else’s. Through the lyrics, melodies, or instrumentals, we create our own experiences. In a way, music becomes a sense of refuge for people, as it is not something that judges, pressures, or hurts individuals. It is simply there to aid in creative storytelling and expressionism.

The songs on the escapism playlist allow me to connect and disassociate from reality, which demonstrates the power of music. While music gives me the ability to escape into a new sense of reality and break away from the worries of the real world, it simultaneously allows me to reconnect and process my emotions. Through music, I am able to escape and rediscover my sense of self.