Fairy Tales

I love fairy tales.  I have always loved fairy tales.  Maybe I love them because there is this sense that no matter how dark the situation seems, in the end, things will turn out right.  Or, maybe it's just all the lovely pictures that came with the books I used to read when I was a kid.  Then again, it could be that I always wanted to be a princess.  But I'd like to think that the reason people like fairy tales long after they've grown up has something more to do with the way they embody the idea of hope, the sense of adventure, and the enduring capacity of the human imagination to invent.

People have been trying to define what a fairy tale is for as long as the term has come into common usage.  Are they fairy stories?  Legends?  Myths?  Do they have talking animals, or is it just princes, princesses, and knights?  Are fairy tales simply magical reality, or are they stories we've passed down generation to generation--embodying aspects of culture, history, and life that we believe are important somehow?  Can fairy tales be found in religions, and are they still relevant in the world today?

To all of those questions, I think I have to answer: yes.

Most of all, though, I think fairy tales help us to make sense of the world around us; they give us a way to look at life while immersing us a story that may be as alien or as real as our own lives.  And they remind us of important lessons which shouldn't be forgotten.

Here are a few sites you may want to visit if you, too, love fairy tales.

http://www.storynory.com/  -- Storynory -- a place where you can find audio versions of some of your favorite fairy tales (good for children who like to listen to stories, too!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale -- The Wikipedia page of fairy tale stuff!

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/index.html -- this is just an amazing site for adult lovers of fairy tales

As for my favorite fairy tale--there are far, far too many to list.  However, one of my favorites, I think, is the story of Sleeping Beauty.  Or maybe it's Cinderella.  Or the Twelve Dancing Princesses....

Reconnect

There are a lot of articles these days that are telling us how we ought to disconnect--set aside our cell phones, computers, and televisions.  And while maybe that's a good idea, I think the real message lies not in what we're getting rid of, but rather what we're reconnecting with--the people and the world around us.

And I think that's a pretty great idea.

Still, I have to commend the internet and our TV's when it comes to connecting us with other people--not just with social networks, but with games, world news, and even hobbies.  We learn about the troubles and trials of other people in the world, and oftentimes we are presented with the fact that in spite of our different languages and our different locations, we have a similar desire--to be free to do the things that make us happy.

And sadly, not everyone can do that.  Some places are beset by wars, unrest, and loss.  The very things that many of us take for granted are things that people around the world are fighting just to obtain--or maintain.

So maybe if you're sitting there watching football or the Golden Globes, spending some time with your family, cleaning, playing on the computer, or cleaning out your DVR queues, please don't forget that you are a part of a larger whole--that the world around you, while filled with many joys still holds many sorrows and injustices.

And maybe there's something you can do to help.

And if there is, I urge you to do so.

Reconnect with the world around you, and hopefully you'll find that in making those connections, you can bring a little more happiness into the world.

"Everything comes from the same source. You can be at absolute ease only if you experience yourself as a part of existence, not as a separate individual." -- Sadhguru

The following picture was obtained from Facebook, and was posted by Fantasy and Sci-Fi Rock My World.