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Fairy Tales
Mar. 12th, 2010 08:30 pmLife throws a lot of shit at us, and it throws at least as much fairy dust our way. There is something about this idea which meshes so well with the fairy tale idea. I'll tell you, I do think some of the fairy tales, at least the originals, have a lot of "un-PC" aspects to them, but I don't think that changes the overall message. Each generation is more "enlightened" than the last, and quite frankly I think that is code for "we want to be different so we'll be offended by something the previous generation was offended by." In that same vein, I love "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Today it would be cast off as insensitive garbage. Back to my point...
In fairy tales there are scary and often horrible adventures. Sometimes there are even deaths or other significant losses. I don't feel like I have to really give any examples since most people know about fairy tales. Of course there are the exceptions and the bitter sweet. I would invite anyone to look up "The Little Matchstick Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen. That's the way life is, the way life can be. Fairy tales are a wonderful reflection of this.
Sometimes people don't want to believe this idea. There are those who want perfection. I used to be one of those people, except I played both sides of the fence. I wanted the fairy tale, but I wanted the end of the fairy tale. I wanted to ignore the dragon fights, the dirty city backdrops, the competition, the bad guys. I wanted to just have the "happily ever after." I've thought about it sort of in this way (because I used to be very into video games). A game is never as interesting to me anymore after I've found cheat codes for it and gone through with 100% capabilities. GTA was a game for this. It's the same thing with life. What's the fun, what's the WORTH of having "happily ever after" without the sweetness added by the difficult road traveled to get there?
I'm on an extremely difficult road. I've put myself on it, and a lot of other people on it. If there isn't a happy ending here, then it's because of the choices I make, the choices those in my life make. That's the way a fairy tale works, if those in their roles don't play their parts... There's a feeling involved, a feeling which can't be faked, and can't be replicated. I love that feeling.
In fairy tales there are scary and often horrible adventures. Sometimes there are even deaths or other significant losses. I don't feel like I have to really give any examples since most people know about fairy tales. Of course there are the exceptions and the bitter sweet. I would invite anyone to look up "The Little Matchstick Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen. That's the way life is, the way life can be. Fairy tales are a wonderful reflection of this.
Sometimes people don't want to believe this idea. There are those who want perfection. I used to be one of those people, except I played both sides of the fence. I wanted the fairy tale, but I wanted the end of the fairy tale. I wanted to ignore the dragon fights, the dirty city backdrops, the competition, the bad guys. I wanted to just have the "happily ever after." I've thought about it sort of in this way (because I used to be very into video games). A game is never as interesting to me anymore after I've found cheat codes for it and gone through with 100% capabilities. GTA was a game for this. It's the same thing with life. What's the fun, what's the WORTH of having "happily ever after" without the sweetness added by the difficult road traveled to get there?
I'm on an extremely difficult road. I've put myself on it, and a lot of other people on it. If there isn't a happy ending here, then it's because of the choices I make, the choices those in my life make. That's the way a fairy tale works, if those in their roles don't play their parts... There's a feeling involved, a feeling which can't be faked, and can't be replicated. I love that feeling.
