I'd Rather Face a Grue: Real-World Problems Vs. Fantasy Problems

I recently invented a new catchphrase for myself. I'm rather pleased with it, and it seems to fit my current state of mind well. It also started a chain of thought about the sorts of things that people would really rather face up to if it meant avoiding a real-world problem or concern that they're having.

"I'd rather face a grue." When I said that, I was met with a confused look and a question mark. First, I had to explain what a grue was. (For those of you unfamiliar with old gaming terminology, a grue is a creature that lurks in darkness, waiting to devour hapless adventurers who don't know any better than to blunder about a dark cave without a light. The use of the grue was first seen in Zork, one of the first interactive computer games, in the late 1970s.) Secondly, I had to explain the sentiment that I was trying to convey by invoking the name of the almighty grue. Oddly, the latter attempt was more difficult than the first.

If grues were real, they wouldn't be the type of creature that you would willingly face if given a choice. In fact, I'm fairly certain that the late Steve Irwin wouldn't even have dared enter a known grue haunt without a light source, the only way to repel a grue. So, my intent with regards to my newly invented expression was to describe how much I really didn't want to deal with the things I had to deal with at the moment.

I don't believe this is a phrase that should be used lightly or frequently, and if you do feel the need to use it frequently and you really mean it, you should seek professional help. Just because grues don't really exist doesn't mean that the meaning behind the expression shouldn't be taken seriously. The idea of overusing the phrase makes me think of Godwin's Law, which basically states that if an expression or argument is used too much, it loses its power and meaning. (It refers specifically to making a comparison between your opponent in an argument and the Nazis, but that's an entirely different story.)