F*ck Being Realistic

We passed what counts as "realistic" the moment Elon Musk decided that colonising Mars was an actual option.

I often hear this from people when they’re talking about their dreams and ambitions, or just their life and future in general. They’ll tell me something they wish for, and then they’ll add “but I have to be realistic, it won’t ever happen.”

I think that we live in a world that has surpassed the notion of what is and isn’t “realistic.” I think that we passed what counts as “realistic” when they successfully transplanted the first artificial heart. We passed what counts as “realistic” the moment Elon Musk decided that colonising Mars was an actual option. Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of flying machines way before it was a realistic thing to dream about, but they did end up becoming a reality. We live in the age of AI. And you want to tell me that your dream of not working for something you don’t believe in, but instead do more stuff that makes you happy is not realistic?

Now, I know that we’re up against some real-life barriers to achieve our so-called “unrealistic” dreams for the future. I know that we live in a system that is so hard to break out of, but it is possible and even though it will take effort it will be a lot less painful in the long term than staying in a system bent on the destruction of everything and everyone it touches.

I know that there is work that needs to be done, and that this work work is hard and draining. But to give up on your dreams on the grounds of them being unrealistic is not just doing yourself a disservice, you are also doing the world a disservice. The system is broken. We need better things. We need a better system. We need more people doing what they love, because only through love can we build something that is sustainable and nourishing for everyone.

So don’t be so fucking selfish, don’t deprive the world of a better future by saying your dreams are unrealistic. A future that comes from your deepest desires is better than this broken system we’re already living in. We need a better world. We need your dreams. Do us all a favour and please be unrealistic.