“Fantasies”

By Ron Stultz

4 September 2005

It was in the high school English class reading of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber were I was first introduced to the concept of having a scenario play out in your mind which was not real but which you might like to happen like: save the damsel in distress; spit in the mean bosses eye; make that basketball shot at the buzzer which wins the game; cross the finish line first at the Indy 500; get that big promotion; win the lottery and what you would do with all that money; walk right up to that babe and begin talking to her and not have her walk away from you, walk out on your husband or wife and never look back or all sorts of other “make believe” thoughts. 

Before “Walter”, I must have had fantasies but certainly did not call them fantasies as I had never heard the term before and really cannot recall any specific fantasy other than perhaps being a big league baseball player one day and hitting homeruns until the cows came home.

Anyway, now begins the questions for you and myself and if I knew the answers I would not be asking.  Is the mental process of fantasy thinking only available after a certain age?  Is it possible for a 6 year old to have fantasies?  Why is it that like dreams, no one ever talks about their fantasies with others?  Is it out of fear of appearing foolish?  Does everyone have fantasies?  Do men have more fantasies than women?  Do you feel guilty when you have a fantasy?  Do certain types of fantasies make you feel guilty while others don’t?  Are what people call “day dreams” really just fantasies?  In the sports world there is a recognized technique now used where an athlete is told to envision his event, all aspects of his event before the event.  Take for example a swimmer.  The swimmer is told to visualize his start, turns and touching the wall at the finish, over and over in his head before he or she actually swims an event.  Is this a variation of a fantasy?  Do people have what I want to call, negative fantasies?  I think they must as some people must think, fantasize, about committing suicide or committing murder or robbing a bank or other destructive behavior.  Perhaps negative fantasies are good in that they release something, which then does not have to be acted on.  Have you have had a fantasy come true.  I mean some fantasy you had actually came to pass through your own actions or just by circumstance?  What is the difference between having dreams and fantasy?  Say I want to become an actor, it is my dream.  Is that desire the same as having a fantasy about it?  Do all your fantasies lie in one dimension?  Say work related? Sexual? Achievement?

Do you suppose that those folks who become mentally ill and cannot discern what is real and what is not have some short circuit in the fantasy generator in their head?  If I think about it, I wonder how much of what I see, hear, and think I understand, is colored by some fantasy I have going on about how I would like it all to be?  Is it possible than our fantasies are “rolling” in the back of our minds all the time and mix with real thoughts and feelings and we do not even know it is happening?

On the drug LSD, several times I have had the distinct feeling that this, all this, this reality, is all a fantasy.

Is it possible through our mental thoughts, fantasies to actually change reality?  Oh, I know I can change reality as I do it all the time when I change out a broken light bulb but that is not what I am talking about.  Could we all try to have the same fantasy and have it come true, change reality?

Wonder what sort of fantasies various thugs, dictators and murders around the world have?  What are they thinking?

Delusion of grandeur.  When does a fantasy become a delusion of grandeur?  Have you ever actually caught yourself fooling yourself?

Fantasy.  There is a genre of fiction called fantasy, which has wizards and the like.  I personally do not care much for it.

Fantasy.  There is now what is called fantasy football.  Interesting.

Fantasy.  At times my sexual fantasies have caused me trouble as they have interfered with relationships I have had.  At times, I have not been able to control the fantasies and wonder if it is the same for you.  Not a comfortable feeling, not being in control of your own thoughts.  Where do the fantasies come from anyway?  What is missing in our lives that we seem to generate, need fantasies?

Fantasy.  This is all some fantasy God is having just to see if it will work out or if he should start all over again with some other sort of fantasy.