“Adventureland” — Try Dreaming — Now and Again

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“Cloud-cuckoo-land” it’s called too: The land we go to for dreaming… It can be rather unreal, fed by fancies and (silent) wishes; it can be rather real, peopled with incidents and ideas that stem from our family’s life.

Critics all around the globe tell us that producers like Walt Disney* and his heirs would teach children to be unable to cope with a life that can be full of pain. That fairy tales are no fit material for children — or indeed anyone. I beg to differ to some extent.

I think that:

• We always need to look out for a proper education of our children. Teach them the right way(s) to deal with life.
• All through history reading stories or telling them was following a pattern and made for a certain use.

The more stories you tell, the more diverse they are, the more learnings will emerge for your listeners, ‘tall or small’ ones…

Remember the forerunners, the human and globally found trait of telling stories for distraction and amazement and entertainment — and some business.

“The Street Ballad Singer”, early 19th century, by Hieronymus Hess (1799–1850); image: Wikimedia Commons

Regardless of what you are looking at, be that fairy tales, circuses, fairs or theatres, or even those first ever ‘public picture stories’, the painted scenery of street ballad singers — they either overdramatise — or lead you into fairy land.

Just as important as learning: Laughter has been proven to make your body’s metabolism react strongly and strengthen you. It helps relaxing you, makes the blood flow more easily through your body, releases endorphins that make you feel happy and strong (too), and thus overall will strengthen your immune system.

Few activities will do that the same way and as strongly, in a short time…

Because: Life can be ‘darned’ hard, at times. To cope with that we need to understand that

• aiming at the good things is worthy ‘the cause’
• that it still can be hard to get there
• and that we all need breaks to take breathers — “to live and fight another day”.

And in addition you also can teach people, children and grown-ups about ideals worthy to follow. Even if only once a year… 😊

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*‘Adventureland’ is one part of the ®Disneyland-park’s fair I used here for a purpose.