A lot of children depend on fairy tales read to them before bed or nap. I can't even count the times my own children asked me to read their "favorite" book or books. You probably have had the same or similar scenario in your life. No one is immune to this task. My kids used to meet visitors at the door with books for them to have read to them. Soon the books transformed to kids television and then on to video (I know I'm dating myself). Eventually they morphed into anomie on their telephone that is carried everywhere by them. Now, as then, the focus is funneled down to what is immediately catching their attention. For some kids it's games. For others it's books. Regardless of which one is chosen, there are many adults that are stuck in the fairy tale as well. Going into adulthood living the life of a child used to mean that we had faith as a child in God.
Astonishing enough, many children have survived the flood of images and stories that make up the unreal world of fairy tales. The bad guy gets his and everyone cheers. No one cares about what made the bad guy (or gal) bad in the first place. Well, some care but not enough to change how their lives are being lived. It's difficult to catch a teenager or young adult without a cell phone or other electronic device in front of them regardless of what is going on in the surrounding environment. Recently I saw, at a restaurant, two adults and. When they were ushered to their table they were texting as they walked. They didn't look at anything but continued texting as they sat down. The only time they actually said a word was to order their meal. Four or five words and they were back to texting. This continued until the bill came which was paid without talking. They exited the restaurant the same way they came in, texting.
The fairy tale doesn't have to be read from Mother Goose (does anyone remember her?) in order for it to exist. People live the fairy tale today. It's only when you really read a fairy tale that you see what it says. Many are negative and destructive. That's not how I remember them. Go back and read some and you will see what I am saying to be true. People cannot live the fairy tale as well. There are few situations today where everyone "lived happily ever after." (insert smile and tilted head). Perhaps the real fairy tale is being lived out amongst us today. We believe in the "now" and the "need" tied in with what can be "provided" all without any real investment on our part. That's not what the Bible says we should live like. The Christian life is one of selflessness and love. How much of that do you see being exercised by Christians towards others?
Well, what will our children be reading to their children? I don't think books will become obsolete. They will take on different forms. They will probably have the book located somewhere on the "net" and read by the voice of choice on your phone. You may be able to actually watch the fairy tale on the phone as well. Who am I kidding!? People are doing that now. The difference is that people today aren't involved or invested. Like the couple in the restaurant, people in general spend very little (and in some case none) time actually interacting in a consistent meaningful way with anyone. In "the day", we were in trouble if we were caught chewing gum. Today that has morphed into if we get caught working on the phone instead of the class assignments.
Once upon a time...everyone lived happily ever after. The end.
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