Sometimes, when a moment in life doesn’t go my way, I imagine a different world.

I imagine a world that is built on decency, merit and logic.

A world where people can talk about how they feel without fear of judgement or retribution.

A world with a safety net such that when a fellow human falls on hard times they will be protected from the harshest elements of the system and lifted up to at least where they used to be, if not higher.

A world where the the best person for the job is the one hired, even if they got nervous and stuttered a little during the interview.

A world where the most interesting, thoughtful and challenging artists are the most successful. A place where they can afford to pay for their existence with the product of their creativity and to continue to grow and develop themselves as a result.

A simple world where a person takes what they have earned with their time, effort and talent and exchanges it for something that will help them live, grow or enjoy their lives a little more. A world where, as a result of this exchange, the person supplying the goods or services is in turn empowered to do the same.

A world where honest, decent, caring people find one another for long-lasting, satisfying relationships, be they friendly or romantic.

A world where the wisest, not the most ambitious, are the ones elected as leaders.

This world does not exist and can never exist. I don’t pretend that it does or that it one day will. I redefine reality into something that appeals to me a little more than the real world does at difficult moments to understand myself better. Building a model of existence from our preferences, flaws and philosophies tells us a great deal about our biases and areas that require improvement.

Sometimes we want to feel like we can change the rules of the world we operate in. This may be true on rare occasions, but most of the time our effort would be better spent coming to terms with our own behaviour and resolving the mismatches that exist between our ideal world and the one we actually inhabit.