Blanket forts are fantastic. You can use the contents of your living room, linen closet and even kitchen cupboards to supply the tools necessary to build yourself a world of wonder and whimsy. The reason I mention kitchen cupboards is simply this ... what blanket fort would be complete without a makeshift drum kit equipped with pans, wooden spoons, pie tins and ladles? Blanket forts are a great afternoon escape.

From inside my fort I envision a world without borders. People can move freely because we all share this silly little sphere. Protectionism wouldn’t exist and there’d be free trade. Folks would treat each other the way they’d like to be treated. There would be milkshakes for everyone who wanted one. There would be minimal suffering, maximum happiness and a plethora (but not over population) of cute kittens and puppies. Licenses would not be required for said puppies. Licenses wouldn’t be required for love. I would be responsible for the decisions I make, and no one else would make them for me; no one else has that authority. A run-in with a spider-web would result in a ridiculously entertaining interpretive dance that makes everyone but the dancer smile. Safe, delicious food would be plentiful. People would work, get paid for the fruits of their labor, and their money would not be stolen from them. No one would be forced to use a monopolized, counterfeit currency. Parents would be responsible when it comes to raising and educating their children. More women would opt for natural births and would look into the benefits and comforts provided by midwives. Everyone would know how to defend themselves, but wouldn’t initiate force against anyone. Music would always be playing and carefree, ridiculous dancing - while completely optional - would be welcomed.

The world from inside my blanket fort is pretty damn awesome.

But I don’t live in my blanket fort, and the world I envision from within does not exist outside. While I would love for that to be the case, this country, this world is a long way off. Hell, this county is a long way off.

Want to know what reality is? Reality is police officers shooting a Long Beach, Calif. man in 2010 while he was seated out front of his neighbor’s house with a water hose in his hand. A nearby resident had called the police claiming he had a “six shooter.” The police did not question the man upon arrival or tell him to drop his “weapon.” Instead, he was shot in the torso by a shotgun and handgun and died on the scene ... for holding a water hose in his neighbor’s yard.

Reality is that a Hawthorne, Calif. police officer recently shot a Rottweiler for no logical reason. This “incident” was caught on camera and is on YouTube ... but it is extremely disturbing so I’d warn you not to watch it (it made me want to cry and vomit at the same time). The dog’s best friend was being unlawfully arrested, and unnecessary force was used by the officer who shot the dog - who was merely barking, as any dog would do if their friend was being detained - multiple times. This is an all too common, disgusting abuse of power, but I will refrain from giving any more examples.

Reality is the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Michigan declaring heritage breeds of pigs “invasive species,” thereby outlawing them. Michigan pig farmer Mark Baker, a husband and father, carefully tended to his Mangalitsa pigs who not only provided his family with a reliable income, but also provided local businesses, individuals and restaurants with quality, local food. The Baker family is now suing the DNR for the ability to continue to raise their own pigs on their own property. The DNR has chosen to fine the Bakers $700,000 for not killing their utterly healthy herd of pigs.

In reality, doctors medicate children for ADHD and other disorders based on recommendations from schools and lack of opposition or dissent from parents. I’m sure pharmaceutical companies love this, just as I’m sure those companies love that marijuana is still considered to have no medicinal properties on the federal level.

Reality is that the Federal Reserve is a private banking entity essentially designed to destroy the value of the currency most Americans use. The Federal Reserve controls interest rates, the money supply (it’ll just print more and more and more) and handles bailouts. Contrary to popular belief, the Federal Reserve is not a government agency. It’s a sneaky, tricky thing, the Fed. Do some reading.

I’ve been asked why I don’t write about “happy things” and have been told I have a negative outlook on life. I beg to differ. I lead an awesome life, and am happy-go-lucky probably 92 percent of the time. I don’t even need a blanket fort world for spider web interpretative dance, that happened to me Saturday. I have the cutest kitty on the planet (yes, I am biased), and I enjoyed four delicious milkshakes last week alone.

But things need work. I refuse to remain in that makeshift living room shelter, ignorant to the actual situations around me. Things get pretty dismal, it’s not always puppies and ice cream, and I refuse to pretend it is. People’s livelihoods are being robbed from them, innocent lives lost, and children are being misguided.

Sure, blanket fort dreamland can be a nice temporary getaway. I can grab some couch cushions, blankets, pans and spoons and play Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” on my “drums” like a pro. I can have a vision of how I’d like things to be. Or, I can put my living room back together, toss a good book in my purse, grab my camera, and head out into the real world with the hopes inciting change.

And who knows, maybe I’ll grab some ice cream along the way and maybe even stop to pet a puppy.

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...@evesunashley