How do you interact with Plays, Books, Movies? Do you "go in" deeply enough?

Watching "Outer Range" triggered these thoughts: Some of us watch a show as spectators...we watch and are entertained. But others watch and participate -- we are drawn in and play 'what if' we were a part of that world. It's not a psychosis...it's not delusional. But it is a deeper level of imagination and interaction. It is like we (imagine that we) project ourselves into the story, and see what we can feel, what we can learn, from that perspective.

I think this is an important way to perceive any story.
The Greeks perfected comedy and tragedy, in order to allow spectators to project themselves into a portrayal of the story, in order to feel as if the story was happening, or could happen, to them. It allows an emotional catharsis, a cleansing or reboot of the soul. Storytelling, whether it is Greek plays or fiction books or movies, is virtual reality. It is a way to expand your mind by imagining yourself in a different sort of life.

Maybe the Metaverse will be better, but so long as its characters are cheesily low-quality, I will stick with plays, books, and movies thank you, for at their best those are among the highest expressions of human art. And yes, I suppose this does mean that life is a drug.


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