The silliest thing in the world

Modern culture has moved beyond fairy tales and children now outgrow them before their age reaches the double digits, or so goes the thinking of much of the 'enlightened' West.  Children lose their innocence far too early in this bizarre society and adults think themselves too 'wise' for such nonsense.  Of all the strange notions of the modern day, this is the silliest!  For man does not outgrow myth, but rather thinks himself too good for it, much to his loss.  In this modern age of too many virtual friends, endless digital distraction, and technology that is almost as immersive as real life, we still come away empty and bored.  We can benumb ourselves but we cannot find satisfaction.  We can fill our hours but not our hearts.  That is the purpose of story, for story tells us who and what we are, defines our purpose, tells us from whence we come and whither we shall go, and reminds us that we are human and that others also are afflicted with that strange condition.  Story brings us together and gives a common sense of purpose and meaning so often lacking in the technological isolation of the current age of the world.  Whole communities used to sit around and hear old tales but now we sit alone at our computers staring blankly at a screen.  Fairy tales are the lifeblood of civilization and culture, the language of the soul, we forget them at our own peril.

At this point, I feel compelled to admit that I am not a great fan of the 'classic' fairy tales as presented by Grimm and Anderson, for they always seemed harsh, dark, and grim to my childish sensibilities.  When I refer to 'fairy stories,' 'myth,' etc. I am referring in general to any tale of things beyond 'normal' mortal experience and comprehension, which lumps in literally everything from Aesop's fables, greek mythology, the writings of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald (among many notable others), the animated theatrical versions of the old classic tales, and even Scripture (just because I call it a 'fairy tale' does not mean it is not true!) and everything in-between.  As with all literature, there are good, bad, and mediocre examples in the mix, but life is rather drab without them.  As for truth, some of the most fantastic stories are at their heart, more real than recorded history, for history only looks at things within time while story can glimpse into the eternal truths beyond it.  Story is the language of the heart, it defines our humanity.  Perhaps that is why modern culture has no use for it (or pretends it doesn't), we want to be creatures of pure reason, cosmic accidents with no transcendent reality or eternal fate.  We want to live for and please ourselves with no consequences now or ever; story does not allow us to comfortably believe that, at least not good story.  With bad story, anything is possible.

A wise man remains childlike (not childish) even into his fading years, while the best of children have a wisdom and seriousness about the fantastic that we adults can only envy.  Pity the man who has lost his sense of wonder, the cynic who has seen everything and has nothing left to life but to make biting remarks about everything (think of the Dwarves 'who would not be taken in' in The Last Battle or Katherine Brook in Anne of Windy Poplars).  For to dream, to wonder, to hope, is to be human: 'the substance of things hoped for, the belief in things unseen.'  All else is to give up and say, 'life do as you will, there is no meaning here.  All is futility!'  Such is not to live but to merely exist.  There is meaning, direction, and purpose but we must be willing to seek it.  Reading a good fairy tale is a great place to start.