O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.
- Walter Scott
Fantasy is a sparkling, gilded cage. While it offers the illusion of perfection, the promise of salvation, and temporary pain relief, it is ultimately fertile ground for manipulation. Fantasy always comes at a price. To maintain the illusion, the people involved have to not only defend against reality, but actively manipulate it. Each person is trying to cope with an inner Dystopia while desperately trying to maintain a carefully-balanced outer Utopia. The more these two realms are at odds, the more loathing and madness enter the relationship.
The True Self knows all. Beneath the fantasy, we sense what is really going on. Yet we brush it all aside. We ignore the red flags, especially when we idealise someone. Denial and fiction help us maintain the status quo, and keep us from facing the dark truth. We sense the other person being dishonest. What they say sounds logical enough, but something feels off. Yet we ignore it all and continue to play along with the ‘story’ — the perfect love or inevitable success, the long-awaited saviour, the amaz...
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