Article October 5, 1987 ISSUE

Having no illusions

Stig Kiær Christiansen

Sometimes people say cynically that they have absolutely no illusions. What they usually mean is that experience has taught them to have no hopes or trusts, in general or in other persons or developments, because they have been disappointed by someone or something. So they trust only in themselves.

But what are illusions really? We usually think of them as unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearances—a mirage, for example. Now, since an illusion is something false or unreal, it is definitely best to avoid having one! But there is more to getting rid of such misconceptions than may at first be apparent. For one thing, we need to develop an intelligent way to determine what is really going on and what is not.

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