I was never a big fan of fairy tales.
I never could relate to it. Neither was I beautiful enough to be a princess, nor did I feel sophisticated enough to be Prince Charming. I liked swords though; and the idea of going on a quest for a girl seemed appealing to me. But that was it. Fairy tales whisper promises of happily ever-afters into our ears which we listen to so hopefully. But it’s a “fairy” tale for a reason; magic does not exist in here, in the real world. Here, true love is not easy to come across, and a true love's kiss does not break the curse.
However, only recently I have realised fairy tales are not that different from the real world if you see it in the right context. Just like the Prince Charming, we all are looking for that one true love; only we are more clueless. Understandable, given that not all of us belong to royalty, or have a sword, or have a horse with in-built Google Maps. And just like Snow White taking a bite of the poisonous apple, we also make mistakes and take wrong decisions that subject us to deadly curses. It can be the curse of regret, the curse of unhappiness, the curse of losing the love of others. And sometimes it does take one true love’s kiss to save us from that curse and to make us believe we can live again. Fairy tales are nothing but reflections of our life on a magic mirror.
True love is a tricky concept. We do we mean by that? Is the “true” before love a bit redundant since love, by definition, cannot be false? As I began to think how fairy tales came about to be, I gained another perspective of looking at the concept of love. In fairy tales, the true love’s kiss can break all curses because it is the purest form of magic. Our very first exposure to love happens when we are held for the first time in the delicate arms of our mothers. But our families and relatives are different- we are biologically bound to love and protect each other. But what happens with our friends? There’s nothing to bind us together and yet we love them all. And what happens when we meet that one person we want to give up everything for? Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think how weird it is that you can die for someone with a smile on your face and yet there’s no foreseeable force that connects you to them?
That is magic. The thing you term as “chemistry” between you and the person of your interest is nothing but magic. How your fingers fit perfectly together is magic. How you think about them a moment before they call you up is magic. How your eyes can read theirs is magic.
And it is through magic you get to meet your true love. It is through magic you can break the curse and live happily ever after. Fairy tales are not any different than stories of our lives. However, while our lives are full of questionable futures, fairy tales tell us never to lose hope.
It’s about time we read them with a different set of glasses.
I never could relate to it. Neither was I beautiful enough to be a princess, nor did I feel sophisticated enough to be Prince Charming. I liked swords though; and the idea of going on a quest for a girl seemed appealing to me. But that was it. Fairy tales whisper promises of happily ever-afters into our ears which we listen to so hopefully. But it’s a “fairy” tale for a reason; magic does not exist in here, in the real world. Here, true love is not easy to come across, and a true love's kiss does not break the curse.
However, only recently I have realised fairy tales are not that different from the real world if you see it in the right context. Just like the Prince Charming, we all are looking for that one true love; only we are more clueless. Understandable, given that not all of us belong to royalty, or have a sword, or have a horse with in-built Google Maps. And just like Snow White taking a bite of the poisonous apple, we also make mistakes and take wrong decisions that subject us to deadly curses. It can be the curse of regret, the curse of unhappiness, the curse of losing the love of others. And sometimes it does take one true love’s kiss to save us from that curse and to make us believe we can live again. Fairy tales are nothing but reflections of our life on a magic mirror.
True love is a tricky concept. We do we mean by that? Is the “true” before love a bit redundant since love, by definition, cannot be false? As I began to think how fairy tales came about to be, I gained another perspective of looking at the concept of love. In fairy tales, the true love’s kiss can break all curses because it is the purest form of magic. Our very first exposure to love happens when we are held for the first time in the delicate arms of our mothers. But our families and relatives are different- we are biologically bound to love and protect each other. But what happens with our friends? There’s nothing to bind us together and yet we love them all. And what happens when we meet that one person we want to give up everything for? Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think how weird it is that you can die for someone with a smile on your face and yet there’s no foreseeable force that connects you to them?
That is magic. The thing you term as “chemistry” between you and the person of your interest is nothing but magic. How your fingers fit perfectly together is magic. How you think about them a moment before they call you up is magic. How your eyes can read theirs is magic.
And it is through magic you get to meet your true love. It is through magic you can break the curse and live happily ever after. Fairy tales are not any different than stories of our lives. However, while our lives are full of questionable futures, fairy tales tell us never to lose hope.
It’s about time we read them with a different set of glasses.
