Fictional vs. Real

Is it just me or have people begun to live more in a fantasy world than in the real world?  Is life so bad that it needs to be fabricated with pretend friends and make believe talents?

Since the beginning of time, I think people have pretended to be something other that what they were, but technology has has taken this to the nth degree.  Role playing video games such as SIMS  are fun in moderation; pathological in abundance.

How about all those people who claim to be fitness gurus because of their Wii personal trainers?  Wake up folks. Those personal trainers are animated characters who don't really see you and can't really tell if you are moving appropriately.  And guess what?  You are not a guitarist because you hit the top level of Guitar Hero or Rock Band.  We have entered a world where hard work, persistence and effort to perfect a skill has been replaced with purchasing a gaming console, pouring a drink and toss around a controller.

Don't get me wrong, I think these games are great fun.  But that's what they are:  games.  Its wonderful to be able to simulate something that you will never do as long as you are not passing up an opportunity to really try something because you believe you have already experienced it electronically.  I cannot believe that the physical act of hitting a tennis ball can be fully replicated by swinging a remote control.

It's worse with friends. I have a few extremely good friends.  I consider myself genuinely fortunate.  Developing a friendship requires compassion, time, understanding and shared experiences.  It is more than sending a Friend request on Facebook and periodically posting a pithy note on their wall.  Those 100 names do not represent real friends.

It's not just technology.  I once visited a new friend. When asked about the microphone and audio equipment set up in her living room, she responded that she was a singer. WOW.  Good for you, have you been singing long?  Do you play local clubs?  Performing in front of an audience must be amazing.  She responded oh no I do karaoke.  Really?   Is that all it takes to call yourself a singer?

I guess I am doing it as well.  I blog so does that mean I am a writer?  Are my colleagues the writers who majored in English, worked years to hone their craft, published words and basically paid their dues?  Or are my peers the people who have a computer, an opinion and a little time? No, I recognize what I am and what I am doing.  The line between fiction and reality is pretty clear for me, which makes me even more crazy when speaking to people who pass through that line like walking through fog.