Altered Realities

I was watching TV late one night and came upon a True Hollywood Story Investigates episode on Internet Dangers. The stories they shared were quite disturbing. They each seemed to be about people who all had an altered realities. Some struggled with online gambling, others with bullying, some with gaming, and even suicide support groups (where they encourage you to end your life).

I went to bed with many of their stories churning in my mind. The next day I couldn't stop thinking about what causes this obsession. For example one young man was addicted to Ever Quest and would not stop playing, for days. He become so engrossed that he eventually lost his job, his apartment, and had to move back in with his parents. He continued his behavior and his mom eventually sent him to a rehab facility. He seemed to be progressing and becoming more productive, i.e. he got a new job, his own place and was getting on his feet again. Once he had saved enough money to buy another computer he locked himself in his apartment for two weeks and did nothing but play Ever Quest.

His mother went over to check on him and he wouldn't open the door, she forced it open to find he had committed suicide at the computer. I found this so bizarre.

Another young middle school girl suffered a seizure in school to which her peers labeled her "retard girl". She started getting hate e-mail and scorned to the point that the mob rallied on a website raving about their depth of hate for her. She seemed so shocked that people could be so cruel. She believed what they said about her, there must have been something wrong with her. She lost herself in the dis pair of depression and had to start home schooling. After a semester at home she transferred to another public school. The problems followed her and she withdrew to the safe haven of her home once more. She had started therapy and decided to change her mental state, and not allow the bullies to win. Some time passed and she finally adjusted to a private school.

In both instances these individuals unplugged from reality and entered a state of altered reality. Some people use substances while others follow false belief systems. The young man believed that he was accepted in the gaming world, he had status and was a part of a guild whose joint venture to defeat the demons of Ever Quest united them. This experience offered such gratification to his need for social interaction and acceptance. Real life seemed to fall short. He chose to accept the illusion as reality and stayed there.

The middle school girl had normal social interaction but allowed the bullies online to give her a construed view of herself. She believed their slurs and accepted what they said. She eventually gave herself to the task of dispelling their snide remarks. This self-justification engulfed her mind, time, and energy. Her life purpose became to correct what others thought about her, rather than focusing on what she knew to be true of herself.

Perhaps the common denominator is that these individuals believed something about themselves that was not true. To their favor or falter they plunged themselves into an altered reality. Perhaps it is time to evaluate how we ourselves accept reality, or false belief systems. The power of projection has been a common theme in my recent thoughts, this seems to emphasize how important our mental state is, yet again.