We need fantasy to survive reality. — Lady Gaga

We need fantasy to survive reality.

Author: Lady Gaga

Insight: Most of us think fantasy is a luxury—something we indulge in when life gets dull. But there's something tougher going on here. Fantasy isn't escapism in the weak sense; it's the part of us that imagines things could be different, better, or at least bearable. Without it, we're just grinding through what is, with no sense that anything else is possible. That's not survival. That's just existing. The non-obvious part: fantasy is what lets us endure the hardest parts of reality. When someone keeps going through a difficult job, a rocky relationship, or just the mundane weight of daily life, they're often running on some private vision of how things might change. A different career. A future version of themselves. A moment that hasn't happened yet. These aren't delusions—they're what make the present tolerable enough to actually work toward something real. This matters now because we live in a culture that treats fantasy with suspicion, especially if you're supposed to be "practical." But daydreaming, imagining alternatives, letting yourself want something better—these are fuel, not distraction. Without them, we become passive in our own lives, accepting whatever shows up as inevitable. Fantasy keeps us alive in the truest sense: it reminds us we have a say in what comes next.