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Reader question: When they say so-and-so should “get a grip on reality”, what do they mean exactly? My comments: They mean to say that so-and-so has lost touch with reality – their opinion is out of touch, incorrect and very irrational. In other words, they’re very poor in judgment. Literally, to get a grip is to get in control. A grip, you see, the way you hold something tightly. Some people, for example, have a firm grip when they shake your hand, and you cannot help but cry out loud: What a grip! If you’ve done any wall climbing, you’d know the importance of literally getting a grip, a firm grip as a matter of fact, all the time and every step of the way. The climbing wall, of course, is artificially constructed with grips for hands and feet. Lose a grip and you lose control – risking falling off the wall. Hence and therefore, to get a grip is to get (back) in touch and in control, in control of yourself, your emotions or a particular situation. Or reality, of course. Usually, when people ask you to get a grip on yourself, they mean to say you should make an effort to control yourself, after you’ve, for fear, anger or some other reason, lost your composure. By getting a grip on yourself, you’ll relax and calm down; you’ll become more rational and reasonable. When people ask you to “get a grip on reality”, on the other hand, they are talking about assessing a complex social or political issue. They mean to say that your assessment of the situation is wrong, way off the mark and that you should improve your understanding of the difficult situation. Only by understanding the situation correctly can you expect to deal with it in likewise fashion. | 
