“Lately, the idea of fairytales has been sitting on my mind. I claim to not be a hopeless romantic type but I find the concept behind fairytales to be hopeful. Hope brought, not because of the sweeping off the feet romantic encounter, in the form of ideas. Ideas of equality and justice being brought to all kindhearted and hardworking people are spoken in these stories. It would seem as if most fairytales start with a woman or boy who has lost something significant to them or perhaps raised under unfortunate circumstances. This initially makes the story universally relatable. Which is a key step to a structuring a good story or concept.
To write a story about our personal experience with injustice and strife, although interesting once an author has passed, will cause the audience to struggle relating. Writing in fairytale form gives the reader an opportunity to relate. Most likely it is a little far fetched but within that context easily applied. Everyone at some point has wished good fortune and adventure upon themselves.
I often wonder why people dislike the ideas of fairytales and speak of them so negatively now that they are older. I have spent numerous hours interacting with artist who find fairytales to be deceiving claiming to be the reason for disappointment in future relationships. Perhaps they expected the good fortune and love to have found them but face an empty or dysfunctional life. But, is that a reason to hate a story that brought you such great joy as a kid? I would argue the answer to be no. Does that story really cause you to despise the world you have faced now? Let’s be honest, no it doesn’t. People often just like to blame their issues on things from their past or inanimate objects. Often people will find the least backlashing source to blame for their unfortunate situations. The more realistic truth is the issue most likely came from choices made with in the last six months to a year. At no point are we tied to our past when it comes to making choices now. Although some might still be paying for past choices from a family member or themselves, at no point did reading a fairytale when you were 10 cause our grief.
I once had a conversation with a Jewish Rabbi named Dan Rosenberg about the tradition of folklore with in the Jewish culture. He explained the structure of a good jewish parable or story being made up of four parts. The four parts were, A story and then three moral stories told by a character with in the story. The characters with in the story are explaining the moral issue several times to the people reading or listening. Initially recapping our, as an audience, reasons for listening. Often Jewish Rabbis use this approach to teach lessons with out being offensive and straight forward with the person of which they are speaking. Fairy tales have power to change people.
I sometimes wonder if I am a romantic, maybe just not hopeless. Because stories of love and adventure motivated me to create a fairytale life of my own. People may claim it is not realistic, but I spend many of my days climbing in woods and seeing beautiful things. I might not be wearing a ballroom gown while I make my travels and learn the things I am passionate about but I don’t think fairy tales are unrealistic. It might just mean working hard and seeking the things that you love. My life is full of passion, dreams of equality, and hopes for justice. My life is a fairytale.” Personal journal 2012
Once upon a time…
A daughter of Papa was sitting in a hostel in Thailand listening to the sounds of the city of Chiang Mai reading old journals about where God has brought her from and what kind of life he has led her to live. For four days She explored cities in Thailand on the back of motorbike. She stopped and talked to store owners and people on the streets. She shared in smiles and bows of respect as she struggled through the language barrier.
Riding over a bridge going North one day she found herself suddenly surrounded by fifty Thai people on motorbikes. They rode through streets surrounded by massive temples and mountains together. The sky was the bluest it had ever been and the sun danced on the gold decorated temples splitting light in millions of directions. It isn’t in the experiences of the travel that she found beautiful or the temples of gold. It was the love she found growing for the people of the world.
Those people on the motorcycles were designated to share their world with the daughter in that moment. Papa, planed each person to be heading on the road in the same direction even if it was only for a few seconds.
The daughter desired to understand the most complicated and deep concept known to humankind. The questions she found herself asking every day was “What is love?” and “How do I love Papa well?” She traveled to far off lands asking these questions as she danced with children in the slums of the Philippines. Held babies covered in charcoal and she fed them soup in a land called people called “Happy Land”. She asked these questions when she lived with thirty princesses in a home made just for girls rescued by Papa and brought to live together. She had a magical square where her words could be told to the lands of which she came from and through out her travels she spoke to many of the love she has found…
