The Barter Project

Purging: The Real World

I don’t know how else to say this, so here it goes… Fuck the “real world”. 

Feels great, doesn’t it? 

This month I’ve learned one huge, gigantic lesson. I know I say it all the time, but this one’s pretty big, and really important. The lesson I’ve learned is this: there’s a difference between “reality” and “the real world”. The difference is that reality exists- the real world doesn’t. 

The thing I hear most when people find out what I do is “I wish I could do that, I’m just not creative. I’ve got to live in the real world.” Up until now, I was usually taken aback by the comment, because it’s a tough statement to respond to. On one hand, I was flattered they think my job is cool, but on the other I was a bit embarrassed they think I do arts and crafts for a living. 

I realized there was no real world about two weeks ago. It started 9am on a Wednesday, and I was on the train with my room mate. We were heading into Chinatown to board a bus, which would take us on a day trip to a casino in Connecticut. I felt like a slacker not living in the real world- here I was, in shorts and sandals, going to play blackjack on a work day. It was the earliest I’d been awake in months, and the only important documents I had to carry with me were my iPod and a ticket printout with a free lunch voucher on it. Beyond not wearing a suit like my fellow 20somethings traveling from their apartments into work, I thought about how I don’t even own a suit…when would I need a suit? I work from home, and would get a suit very dirty. Maybe I’ll by a suit if I win big, I thought…then I’ll be living in the real world. 

The day passed without a hitch. We didn’t win or loose in any extreme capacity, but I got to play blackjack- a game I love- for a few hours, eat some great pizza, and banter with retired baby boomers all day. The bus smelled a bit like a locker room, and we were the only two english speaking gents aboard, but it was quick and free after our lunch, so what more could we ask for? 

We got on the train to go home around 7pm after a short nap on the ride back to the city. I boarded in my shorts and sandals, less my meal voucher but feeling happy and full. As I looked around, I saw the same young professional types that we rode with on the inbound trip earlier, except they looked different- ties were loose around the neck, hair was messy, & socks and sneakers replaced slingback heels. While I had been the one at a casino, they looked like the ones that had been gambling all day, wondering if they were making the right decisions. It was at that moment, as we came above ground and onto the BU campus, that I realized there was no real world. I went home and relaxed by working late into the night on a project I just couldn’t put down, feeling thankful I get to do what I love to do. 

Steve Jobs said it best in his now famous Harvard commencement speech. It’s a blunt tactic, but the most powerful motivational tool is remembering every day that you’re going to die soon, because in the face of death all fear, pride, and embarrassment fall by the wayside. There is nothing wrong with working a 9-5 if it makes you happy, but there is also nothing wrong with putting your degree in your back pocket and scooping stables or waiting tables to travel across the country or start something of your own. You’re not accepting mediocrity, you’re choosing to live life with a purpose and follow your heart. Now, when someone says “I’ve got to live in the real world,” my answer is simple…”What real world?”