Last weekend, I learned to scuba dive in paradise.
Scratch that.
Last weekend, I learned to scuba dive. In the Puget Sound. In November. In 41F water, pouring rain, underwater visibility of less than 1 foot, ebbing tide, and a surface current pushing the water toward the demonic shredding propellers of the ferry boat line.
The dive site looked like this:
Which might make this a good time to review the definitions of three excellent words.
Illusion: "A thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or misinterpreted by the senses."
Example: I perceive that this harbor full of murky water is cold and gray and fairly miserable, but maybe I'm just misinterpreting my sensory input!
Delusion: "An idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument; typically a symptom of mental disorder."
Example: I believe that this harbor full of cold, gray, murky, miserable water is the single most delightful place to swim today!
Imagination: The willful action of forming new ideas, images, or interpretations of external objects that are not seen, felt, heard, or otherwise sensed in reality.
Example: Cold harbor? What cold harbor?
If you picture it with a little more of a blue sky...
That still looks too chilly. Perhaps if you picture it with some sunshine...
And maybe some tropical ambience...
And, what the heck, might as well throw in a few charismatic fish and a nice cabana that serves fresh smoothies...
So if you picture the dive site like that -- I mean reeeeeally convince yourself of it -- last weekend, I learned to scuba dive in paradise.
For the record, all the imagination, illusions, and outright delusions in the world couldn't make that freaking water warm.
Scratch that.
Last weekend, I learned to scuba dive. In the Puget Sound. In November. In 41F water, pouring rain, underwater visibility of less than 1 foot, ebbing tide, and a surface current pushing the water toward the demonic shredding propellers of the ferry boat line.
The dive site looked like this:
Which might make this a good time to review the definitions of three excellent words.
Illusion: "A thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or misinterpreted by the senses."
Example: I perceive that this harbor full of murky water is cold and gray and fairly miserable, but maybe I'm just misinterpreting my sensory input!
Delusion: "An idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument; typically a symptom of mental disorder."
Example: I believe that this harbor full of cold, gray, murky, miserable water is the single most delightful place to swim today!
Imagination: The willful action of forming new ideas, images, or interpretations of external objects that are not seen, felt, heard, or otherwise sensed in reality.
Example: Cold harbor? What cold harbor?
If you picture it with a little more of a blue sky...
That still looks too chilly. Perhaps if you picture it with some sunshine...
And maybe some tropical ambience...
And, what the heck, might as well throw in a few charismatic fish and a nice cabana that serves fresh smoothies...
So if you picture the dive site like that -- I mean reeeeeally convince yourself of it -- last weekend, I learned to scuba dive in paradise.
For the record, all the imagination, illusions, and outright delusions in the world couldn't make that freaking water warm.
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