Personal Response to Cultural Seminar (Mexico)

Maybe dreaming is the ultimate form of escapism. Because, lately, nightmares have been dropping on us like bombs. But these are not the type of nightmares whose animation relies on our unconscious slumbers. These are the type of nightmares that are spawned from our failures–from our own withering self-esteems. These are the type of nightmares whose influence has embedded into our thoughts the words Not Good Enough. These are the type of nightmares that have turned our minds into war zones, leaving nothing but soot and nauseating tendrils of smoke in their wake.

Our eyes are as swollen as tea bags, sodden from the merciless cascade of tears that have made a home in our tired pupils–tears dilute with false hope. Yet, we fight to keep our eyes open. Because maybe if we stare at the chaos long enough, we will become desensitized to it–maybe it will become nothing more than a mirage, an entity that shall wink at us for an instance before dissipating into non-existence, leaving only a dead blankness behind. A blankness that we are capable of giving lovelier meaning if only we dream hard enough.

And so we withdraw to a reality that is less harsh than what we are used to. A reality where the ashes no longer stick to our faces–where the chalky blackness covering our cheeks is replaced with a pale rosiness. A reality that seeks to reassure us, as our brokenness is warmed under the soft, velvety glow of fireflies. A place where our own self-loathing is stymied with cups of peppermint tea and the way poetry seems to dissolve like powdered snow onto our uninspired tongues. 

But For these visions, they have called us fools, whimsical optimists who indulge in the grandiose romances of our fantasies; they have called us naive, accusing us of being ignorant to the tyrannical brutality that has afflicted our lives. But what they don’t realize is that we are well aware of this fact. For why else would we dream in the first place?

 

No, we are not fools.

 

We are not optimists.

 

And we are certainly not naive.

 

We are merely escapists.

~

Due to technical difficulties and the fact that our presentation was not created online, there is no way to provide a link to view the said presentation. But here are screenshots of our slides:

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Source:

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/120541727505912057/?lp=true

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