Ever After

I must admit something...I like the movie "Ever After." I really do. I like the acting, the music, the scenery, and more importantly the story. Why? Well for a variety of reasons...

In my opinion, most humans love a good fairy tale. It places our minds in a world of magic that resembles nothing of the reality we live in. Fairy tales are about magic and prosperity and hope and...happy endings. Isn't that the selling point? If a fairy tale didn't have a happy ending, then who would read it. I dare you to find one fairy tale, not fable (entirely different, but that is an argument I seek to avoid!), in which a happy ending is not the result. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel...the list could go on and on.

We like happy endings. We crave happy endings. Who doesn't want someone to save them from the terror of life and end up living in prosperity and happiness until their death? Who doesn't want to live like a king or queen...or prince or princess? Who doesn't wish for reality to not be true?

I am a pretty imaginative person. While I am quite the social butterfly, I am more comfortable as an introvert. My introverted side allows me to "gander" at the "fluff" of fairy tales. What if I were rich and successful, living in a palace in the mountains of Bavaria...well I don't really think about that stuff, but, what if I were rich and lived in a mansion without a worry in my life?

What makes me do this? What makes everyone do this? For one thing, we live in a not-so-pretty world. In Charlotte, all I have to do is step out side campus to see homelessness, poverty, drugs, alcohol, etc. Even in the "mystic" lands of Bavaria, Bohemia, the English countryside, and other settings of famous fairy tales there is the reality of the society we live in. On another note, our society loves to portray our imperfections as just that, imperfections. This makes us want to be different. Name one character in a fairy tale who isn't portrayed, described both literally and figuratively as handsome, beautiful, successful? "Shrek" did a number on this issue, but the issues linger to this day.

Donald Miller, my all-time favorite author writes about Harry Potter in his book, "Searching for God Knows What." Miller writes that our fantasy about Harry Potter is all about our desire for "wish-fulfillment," and he paints a difficult, but true picture...we can never return to Eden.

Tough pill to swallow...for me, and most of the world. What does this mean? As much as I wish my life were like a fairy tale, Hollywood movie, etc., it's not going to be like that. These are books or movies that cram a life story in a number of pages or minutes, while my life spans years. What happens in these minutes leaves much to be answered or discovered. Why would I want loose ends tied up by a generalized "happy ending" than have all of my answers discovered and played out on the "stage" called my life? What does a fairy tale have, that God doesn't already provide? Success, prosperity, hope, love, and even a happy ending are all guaranteed by God himself...if you need proof, open the Bible or pray to God sincerely. He will answer any question you have...it's your choice to accept that answer...which leads to our "addiction" to fairy tales.

We all want something that provides answers, quickly. Fairy tales accomplish that and more. They satisfy our need for hope and a "rosy" picture. But they are fiction. Which causes us to do anything to gain a fairy tale life...even though it is not humanly possible. God makes that possible...but in His way, and not ours.

I know this may seem to be written in a manner that represents "ping-pong" thoughts, which is true because I have been studying for a midterm for about four hours...so I apologize for my lack of cohesiveness...so expect a follow up real soon...

Until then...think about it...why are you so enamored with a happy ending...

To get to a happy ending, you have to write the story...