Literature: Reality vs. Fiction

   I had mentioned in my very first post that I had a soft spot for fiction and though it is true, I have another motivation that pushes me towards it; I am going to university to acquire a degree in English Literature. Needless to say that even though I'm only in my second year, I've read more books, short stories, articles and poems that a great number of people would only successfully complete in a time span of a decade, or maybe less if they had really applied themselves. I'm not saying that some people are slower readers, or have a harder time reading a certain kind of material, I'm simply stating that I've mastered the ability of being able to recognize a work that I like, and only taking out the important information of the works I don't. I'm not too keen on biographies, or self-help books, or anything that's fiction, but realistic fiction. If a book comes close to a sort of realistic fiction, it needs to be such an extreme case that even God's wondering how the whole thing could have happened. I will however suggests books, or stories that I've come across in my existence and that I've actually liked; and maybe I'll even tell you why I didn't like others too much. Maybe you'll end up loving it for the reasons that makes me want to sell my copy to someone else. Needless to say that everyone is entitled to their opinion and you've chosen to read mine, so I'll be franc with you.
   I said that I love fiction, and that I won't deny; I love being able to immerse myself in a story that brings me to another world. I enjoy accompanying an interesting character on a quest that I would have never pictured myself joining on. The idea of the impossible just thrills me. Have you ever thought about imaginary friends? I have; and I've wondered why it is that when we grow older, we no longer believe in them, therefore we don't see them. Experts and professionals, scientists and theorists can argue that they never existed in the first place and it's with maturity that we come to realize that it was a manner to cope with a psychological problem. I would argue that they cease to exist because we get they idea of their non-existence crammed into our heads that eventually, we come to believing what the adults have been saying all along. What if our imaginary friends aged with us, and stood by us through thick and thin, but we simply lacked the imagination and the beliefs to see them. Whether you will say that this is a crazy way to think, or that it is unhealthy for me to assume the existence of things that should merely be a figment of my imagination, I could reply that you have tainted what my imagination could potentially grow into and therefore you've cut me off from an incredible world.
   It isn't just the fact that I love fairy tales and make-believe, but I enjoy my actual life. The true harmony of it comes when you mix the life you enjoy with the imagination related to fiction. Why else would movies, video games and books sell so well during their first release dates and continue to be discussed in classrooms, chat rooms and living rooms? We are happy where we are, but we don't mind losing ourselves every once in a while. I'll end this post by quoting Helen Keller. She said that: "the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." With this my dear readers, I invite you to close your eyes and open your mind because you never know what kind of wonders it will conjure up.

K.P.H.