I don't get this word ESCAPISM.

[MilesofSmiles]

"escapism" is what people who are prisoner of their taboos call a free person's behavior.

Amen to that.

[losgrad]

Original Post,

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"Without fail, every time I go to Thailand my friends/family (harder to simply ignore) like to say "Thailand is just Escapism." I say "I don't know" and head off to LOS for 6 months. lol. Posting on TV could be escapism. sleeping too much, drinking too much, walking for hours, whatever....work can be escapism. exercise, definitely. i do that a lot. watching movies, with your friends. haha.

I'm sure many here have heard that we go to Thailand to escape. Sure, most of us do, but the word should not have a negative connotation.

The best part of getting older is not caring what 99% of people think. But it is funny when a friend has 3 kids, marriage on the rocks, hates his job, and tries to tell me why I shouldn't go to Thailand. I need to pick better friends. "

(sorry, I couldn't find the quote button on the OP)

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Well, going on any "holiday" or "vacation" is escapism as attending an amusement park, visiting a tropical island, hiking a national park, etc.. is not most people's "reality."

I guess it depends on 'how' people say it to you whether it's criticism or envy.

Yes, for years I had three minor kids, a smooth marriage and loved my job; but eventually the kids grew, the ex- had different retirement plans and I hated my new CIO so early retirement in Thailand was where I went for my new reality.

"What if I told you insane was working fifty hours a week in some office for fifty years at the end of which they tell you to piss off; ending up in some retirement village hoping to die before suffering the indignity of trying to make it to the toilet on time? Wouldn't you consider that to be insane?" Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi) Con-Air

Why I came to Thailand when I was 27. I'll probably have no money when I'm 70 years old as so many older friends keep telling me. On the whole, most of them don't make it much past 70 with many perishing in their 50s, especally the ones who have lived here for 20 plus years and don't look after their health.
3 of my friends have died in the last month and not one was over 60. Between them they had lived here for over 60 years.
My brother keeps asking how I stay so young looking and how he had a mini stroke last year aged 48. Then he accuses me of living the Thai way and not working enough as he is working 16 hours every day. Maybe he is worried about stress causing him to die early and me getting all his hard-earned cash!


I have dedicated nearly all my life to escapism that now there is very little left to escape from.

Before they retired, 3 of my friends died over a 5 year period, I had multiple mini-strokes and finally began benefiting from working 12+ hour days for 30+ years; which allowed me the chance to retire. I was luckier, my health now much better and living in Thailand was once my fantasy has 5 years now been my new reality. My new fantasy is visiting the USA and expecting it to be better than when I left.

Fantasy or Reality - choose your way to happiness.

Edited January 19, 2014 by losgrad

[belg]

for your own sake: you should never care what other people might think, as long as you dont hurt anybody, that is

in faceland, sorry, thailand, people to stupid things and continue to do stupid things, even they are aware, but for facesake, they will never admit they were wrong and they just might keep up doing the same stupid things

[PhuketAmerican]

Let's not carry it too far into philosophical territory. The reasons a Farang "Escapes" from the west, is (most of the time) very "down to earth":

- Beer is cheap

- P*ssy is cheap

- Housing is cheap

- Everything cheap

Let's keep it simple and honest.

Of course, the 0,1% of Farangs coming here because of the Temples, the Culture, the stable political system, and the Farang-investor-friendly legislation, will start to howl at this point...................

Cheers.

Well, not all of us come here to booze it up, whoremonger, and pinch pennies. Im a young American and I left a stressful finance career to spend time working teaching sailing for a yachting company and improve my sailing skills while seeing a different part of the world and learn about a new culture and learn a new language. And I dont pay for "p*ssy" I found a nice local Phuket girl to live with and have a normal relationship with who Ill probably take to the states so she can get a masters in business management there in the next few years

You're correct about housing though, living by the beach for 1/8th of my Charlotte, NC uptown apartment rent is an added benefit.

[mrfaroukh]

Enjoy life there are just jealous.

[Sam Gold]

"The best part of getting older is not caring what 99% of people think."

The truest words I've heard so far in 2014.

Agreed, but why wait until you get old?

No need indeed, however it's a fact we pay a lot more attention to what people say and think when we're in our early 20's.

I'm in my 30's so not old but definitely older, as in sufficiently experienced to realize only I know what's good for me.

[puukao]

a person who immerses themselves in alternative reality; habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.

Food, sleep, sex, music, sports, video games, drugs etc. can all be forms of escapism employed by the escapis

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I think i will just ban this word from my vernacular. Oh, you like entertainment? you are escaping reality!! as if that is a bad thing.

I will be "escaping" the proverbial jail of mindless work (not always) to travel this rock and see how others live. that seems OK.

What if you make $400,000 creating video games for escapism? Then, I'm sure, people won't say they are escaping anything.

I have spent 11 seconds worrying about this....that is enough. lol.

[Neeeko]

They probably are just jealous because they live boring lives with a dead end 9-5 job and have a fat ugly wife

[Maggusoil]

As for your choice of where you want to live, if you have options, use them. Its a big world. Its great to get around. Many don't.

That's their decision and they're probably jealous.

Other people's judgements are definitely not a good source, of what you make of your own life.