The 1980’s brought us many things, but one notable concept out of Japan known as shinrin-yoku, or “Forest Bathing” has managed to stay more relevant than Gremlins.
Despite the self-indulgent tackiness of the idea, it has merit - even more so when you consider the future being proposed by some.
The Alternative to Reality.
There’s a trend today to withdraw from the real world and enter the digital domain in more and more ways. The internet age has allowed real-time communication to occur between people on either sides of the globe, and social structures have been forever changed by online forums and multiplayer gaming platforms. A new society has been created within the confines of a multitude of screens around the world, and with it a new set of opportunities have arisen for The Playwrights of Misery.
With the advent of the “Metaverse”, a fantasy world has been crafted which seeks to draw in not only those interested in sport or conversation, but those who may wish simply to avoid experiencing the actual physical world around them. This combination is a powerful tonic for damaged and disillusioned souls, and may prove to be an order of magnitude more dangerous than the opium dens of the past.
If people are being drawn more and more into a crafted and curated reality they will be less and less able to differentiate between reality and fiction. We can already see where an Orwellian narrative is being established in many areas of our culture, where the glaring inconsistencies are masked by Doublespeak and glossed over by state sponsored cognitive dissonance.
Now, more than ever, it is important to get out into the real world and see for yourself what is happening around you.
Take a break, lift your head up, and appreciate the importance of outside.