The Illusion of Power

     Am I the only person who has an Illusion of power? Something she does that she pretends impacts the world in a meaningful way, even though there's absolutely no evidence that it does? Given how many people believe in conspiracy theories these days, I expect the answer is almost certainly yes. I know a lot of people are  annoyed by the fact that others will do things that don't change the world in obvious ways, but if growing up in the twenty-first century taught me anything, it's that even the obvious things don't work all the time and not everyone who wants to do them can for whatever reason. As someone with severe Anxiety issues, I can understand the appeal of something that allows you to feel powerful without putting yourself in a situation you're uncomfortable in. 

   Sort of related, but am I the only person who gets annoyed at people who say that making art or talking about a problem isn't an effective way of solving it? Specifically in the case of random people online, at least, I do think that talking and posting about these issues is important, especially if you're not sure that your right. I've been a writer for my entire life, and one thing I've learned is that consuming bad art is just as important as consuming good art. The most important skill you can learn as a creator is how to screw up, because that will tell you what you need to know to do it right the next time. And art, of any sort, matters to people. Why do you think people got so upset about NFTs? It's not because they thought it was a scam, it's because they viewed it as an affront to something important to them, mostly because it was something they'd always believed in, and now it was being reduced to something to only care about because you wanted to make money. 

     Honestly, as despicable as NFTs are, I feel that we, as a society, can learn a lot from them. Specifically, I think we can learn about the importance that the unreal has for people, especially those who can't or don't want to participate in society. The big failing of NFTs is that they got everything they were trying to do wrong. The only thing that kept them alive was pure unquestioning belief, and that's the hardest form of belief to maintain. More importantly, if you're trying to keep an illusion alive, it's the worst kind of belief to have. In order for an illusion to last, it needs to be malleable, and in order for an illusion to be malleable, people need to be able and willing to question it's merits, offer changes, and be sure that those changes can be implemented. 

   I wonder, would we be better off if we came up with an illusion of power that people could actually believe in? I don't want to live in a world where my voice will never be heard.  I don't think anyone does. I think that if we did live in a world where we couldn't be sure we mattered, that world would fall apart, because no one would believe in it's existence.