Theodore Zeldin, in 'An Intimate History of Humanity' writes, " All humans are, by origin, escapists. All are descended from ancestors who migrated from Africa and Asia. Every religion has been an escape from the sordidness of real life, a withdrawl from the aching body into the safe haven of the soul. When religions have become too conventional and superficial, there have always been escapes into mysticism and fundamentalism, away from reality. Industrial society began as an escape from poverty. Now it has become an escape from work to leisure, hobbies and sport. But even a civilisation dedicated to leisure contains enemies, so the art of escape has been refined still further: detachment, humour and parody have been cultivated to prevent any worry from being taken too seriously. The escape route from marriage to divorce and back again is a motorway to which new lanes are being added all the time. More humans have runaway from their enemies than have fought them. Escape has been an unrecognised art, because the many forms it takes have never been seen as a unified response to life"
"When circumstances do not permit you to escape physically, you can do so in your thoughts. The imagination is the only part of you which nobody and no group can touch."
