Fight or flight. The biological response mechanism in every organism that is supposed to ensure our survival. Well, somehow it seems that the many years of luxury for citizens living in countries of relative affluence and comfort have skewed our responses towards the 'flight' culture, which I think everyone secretly subscribes to in some ways or another. After all, to escape is always easier than to challenge, in most situations that is. In fact, escapism is already a salient feature of contemporary society, a mentality that has been gaining increasing popularity among the population. Globalization certainly is one of the key culprits, as the ever-changing patterns of interaction and competition creates conditions for stress and alienation. Inherent conditions of a country is an important factor too (i.e immense competition due to high human density). In any case, there are too many reasons to adopt a 'flight' mentality, and in actuality, it is merely a temporary response to handle stress at best.
In smaller doses, the escapism mentality is probably benign. It is a manifestation of a defensive technique to relieve the stress as elements of daily life fuels constant friction. It could be stress from the workplace (over-demanding bosses and apathetic colleagues), stress from studying (over-competitive peers and parents with unreasonable expectations) or even stress from living conditions (higher costs of living). Hence, the mind is continually bombarded by myriad of sources of stress as we compete in the never-ending rat race - where the faster we run, the faster we have to run. I can't help but remark at the irony of life in the term we use to call ourselves, namely 'the human race'. Anyway, the benign mentality thus manifests itself in different forms configured to unique interests. Examples range from holiday-planning to playing computer games to reading novels. There are even sayings that holiday planners sometimes plan their holidays better than their lives! These are all forms of alternative reality - the ideal holiday for relaxation, the gaming world of imaginary powers and magical abilities, the fictitious stories of characters living out a happy-ending fairytale - and they help us grapple with the vagaries of reality by teleporting us into a different dimension where our worries feel so distant and disconnected, at least for a while.
In larger doses, it becomes a debilitating mindset; fatalistic even. The alternative dimension has become such an addictive substitute to life that individuals no longer wish to return to reality. Instead, such individuals seek to re-enact the feelings of security and gratification over and over again, as if when done long enugh, the alternative reality might just blur into the present dimension of life. Usually, those that take to such measures live in a high-pressure cooker or are afflicted with the scars of a hostile living environment. We have already seen enough cases of dysfunctional teens taking to drugs, youths turning into hardcore computer addicts (especially in China where there is a growing generation of such individuals) and glue-sniffers too. These people appear to want to cocoon themselves in bliss and oblivion for eternity. They seem to wish to escape to a place where they can relieve themselves of their responsibilities. Perhaps what they really desire is to give up the sovereignty of their lives and live out as a hollowed, physical shell.
With the As fast approaching, it is really the time for all of us to activate the 'fight' mechanism (if we haven't already) and persevere through this short month ahead! 'Flight' should no longer be an option if we truly wish no regrets upon ourselves in time to come. No matter how tempting the alternative dimension is, an illusion can never beat reality. Hence, fight! Fight, if it were the last thing we could do, because a victory never tastes sweeter when won through the sweat and blood that we willingly sacrifice.
To conclude, 'fight' or 'flight' are essentially two extremes in this broad continuum of responses, and we should not be too hasty in dichotomizing and tailoring our actions to suit either side. Lying in this broad spectrum lies a simple action that many of us tend to forget or underestimate.
And it is called 'embrace'.
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