Handling Escapism

I would wager that just about everyone has some form of escapism that they engage in on the daily. A fraction of these people recognize the opportunities that are missed because of the time that is spent on something that is not in direct attainment of life’s goals. For me, its most obvious in the urge to play video games comes because I have shortcomings in other parts of my life. In order to change my focus to something that I am competent in, I turn to video games to get a sense of gratification that I am not getting in the real world. It can be extremely challenging to keep from turning to these types of escapism when faced with overwhelming obstacles. In order to get at the root of escapism I have a few penetrating questions. Where do these negative emotions come from? Why is it that I am unable to control myself when confronted with these emotions? What could be some possible solutions for living a better life?

Firstly, defining what constitutes a negative emotion that then turns me to escapism. From the position that I sit in now it seems entirely irrational to do anything but build myself to overcome in the face of adversity, but this is not the case. One instance of a source of these negative emotions comes from going out at night in order to have fun and meet new people. Not all the time but often enough these events can cascade downward so that when I am leaving the bar I feel alone in that I was unable to make a solid connection with anyone that I met that night. This does not happen often but when it does it can be hard to deal with. Other things that can be hard to deal with are things like shortcomings at work, run-ins with the bad side of the law, and arguments between friends. These are the type of things that cause negative emotions and thus give rise to the will to escape from it all.

The ideal version of myself grows stronger when faced with adversity and at times I have experienced such a thing. A willpower arise that detaches emotionally in order to achieve the desired outcome. Other times a weakness that desires to neglect the reality of the situation in favor of something lazy and shameful wins. I can only understand the ebb and flow of these two internal drives as a necessity of life and therefor I must prepare for both.

Building a life that is full of positive emotions so that one would never even be tempted by escapism sounds disagreeable. This is not to say that I would do anything but pursue my dream of dreams, it’s just that I feel that anything worth doing should be challenging and therefore will include trying situations. For me, it’s not about finding the path free of road bumps but more so about strengthening the self in order to handle any road bump that might occur; and so I turn my attention to the weakest version of myself and ask: What’s wrong? Why are you unable to do what you know to be right? Is it a lack of courage or maybe you just don’t want it bad enough? From the heightened perspective of where I sit now I can offer few words that might help. Remember that life is short and that greatness can only be achieved by those who work for it. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so take your time and start small. Just remember to keep moving forward. Like the butterfly that created the hurricane, a small step in the right direction could be the first step to shift the minds of millions. Without the first step, there is nothing.

So yeah. Writing is where I do my most precise introspective work and by publishing this online I hope that it may help anyone that stumbles upon my work. If you thought about anything at all while reading please leave a comment. I love to hear other perspectives and to build a community is some of the greatest thing we do as humans and I am looking forward to all of it.


The Start of the Daily Vlog

In Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle describes three approaches to knowledge. Episteme: Meaning “to know” relates to universal truths and works with foundational beliefs by which to build a framework that is context independent. Techné: The rational method by which a result is produced. Phronesis: The rational deliberation upon true beliefs. As with the start of any journey, the start of the daily vlog is an incomprehensible task that has me grasping all the way back to my Nicomachean roots in order to get a foothold by which I might be able to tackle the beast. I can already feel how the vlog is gripping my life as I become obsessed by grabbing that next bit of footage, reaching out to that key individual, getting to that next level. The reason for any form of type communication is to inform and here in the daily vlog you will get information about the challenges that face the start of any project focused on the challenges that face a vlog. Here now, I present to you the first of many to come.



For me, the inspiration to start a vlog came from a deep seated desire to have unfettered freedom. As I thought through the idea of freedom it lead me to the idea that I must do what I love and do it well. I know that I am loving life and so for me, it’s about finding these things that I am already doing and loving and presenting them in a way that is marketable and remarkable. What I love is to learn, to adventure, to express, and to joy. In the end, truth always wins. Love is the most powerful thing we can know. Anything that’s worth doing takes work.



There are two topics that I am just starting to learn and these are social media and video editing. In the article to come much of my focus will be placed on learning in these new realms of knowledge. I could see it being useful for others that are learning the same thing and entertaining to those that have been through it before. With video editing I am just getting into the basics but will be self educating my way to the finer points soon. Basic strategy for networking is to create great content and spend a majority of my time reaching out to other individuals who are creating in a similar domain. At this point that means finding people like me and then asking them intriguing questions that have the potential to start great conversations. The foundational belief for how to network can be summarized with one word, care.



By using tools to express values can we come to a practical understanding of wisdom. When it comes to social media and film editing I am a newborn pup. When it comes to organizing a plan of attack for learning new topics I confident in my burning desire to overcome all obstacles. When it comes to putting my personality out in a way that delivers a story that captivates and educates, it’s something I have been doing my entire life.


Clearly there are great challenges that obstruct individuals from gaining success when it comes to the world of video production. I can already tell that it’s a great mountain to climb. At the moment I am empowered by my values and what I feel is right. So far I am enjoying myself to a large degree and am excited to see what is to come. If you have read this far then it’s worth checking out the youtube channel- ant8731. I am always looking for feedback on anything and everything so let me know what you think. Thank you and see you soon.