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meaning is meaningless
at least that’s what a lot of academics and experts have to say
they say that finding meaning in a fairytale is all rubbish
and that looking for it is just an exercise in self-indulgence
we’ll only find what we want to find, they say
and whatever we do find be will be pure fantasy
a flaky figment of our own imagination
a self-delusional fiction
and...to be academic about it: utterly specious
in other words
a crock
hooey!
whatever...
but I’m not buying it
why look for meaning?
fairytales are something of an obsession with me
maybe with you, too
I find them both fascinating and frustrating
fascinating, because they magically touch something very personal and sensitive deep down inside every one of us
frustrating, because that magical effect is still so very tantalizing, mysterious and hard to grasp
now normally, there are 2 ways of dealing with that frustration:
a. we can read a favorite fairytale over and over and over
that way we get a repeated dose of magic whenever we want
it’s just naturally how we do it as kids
and it’s the same thing we sometimes do as adults with a favorite book or movie
b. we can turn our backs on fairytales
which is pretty much just surrendering to our frustration
but that’s a huge shame because most of us still want that magic
we just don’t trust fairytales to deliver it any more
there’s a third option, though, and it’s guaranteed to knock your socks off:
c. we can look for meaning
hey, I’m serious
looking for meaning is the very key to fairytale magic
but what about the experts?
academics and experts have an awful lot of important things to tell us about fairytales
but they’re wrong about meaning
and the reason they’re wrong is they’ve never found the kind of meaning I’m talking about
it’s not that they can’t
it’s just too difficult
it’s also pretty time consuming
and to be fair to them, they’ve already got plenty of other fish to fry
so do you
but if you’re serious about the magic you absolutely need the meaning
and I have a foolproof method of finding it
it’s a secret — but one that you already know, even if you’ve already forgotten it
don’t worry though, I’m going to help you to remember
but first let me give you a hint:
it’s not “the moral”
the immorality of “the moral”
that glib one-liner known as “the moral of the story” is a literal dead end
an exasperatingly smug, pedagogic cliché that nobody really wants or needs
like some anonymous Dutch uncle, it not only bursts a child’s bubble after “Once upon a time,” it’s blatant hypocrisy
please!
what adult actually lives up to those priggish victorian precepts?
and as a misguided summary of meaning it not only short changes us, but always pretends to an authority it simply doesn’t merit
I don’t pretend to any authority, but, like you, I know magic when it hits me
and geeze! you don’t need me to tell you there’s no magic in “the moral”
but what about the mystery?
finding meaning in a fairytale doesn’t kill the mystery
or the magic
in fact I always, always, always find magic in meaning
how? you ask
by using the secret:
* resonance *
if it doesn’t resonate
if it doesn’t move you
if it comes across as flat or boring or dull
or even if it’s wild, but obviously improbable
it’s not the true meaning
trust me
if you use resonance as your compass and touchstone you’ll always find your way to something fascinating, magical and true
my method
I treat fairy tales the way I treat dreams
I never know what a dream means
I only know that by going through its details, step by step, I eventually find a magically healing story
a meaning
but that story — that meaning — only heals if it resonates
and it takes a lot of time to find meaning because I examine every detail
but that’s what makes this method unique
in fact, it’s an awful lot like an archaeologic dig
each detail is a priceless artifact that points in the direction of a meaning that resonates
and so I analyze fairytales the exact same way
I take them line by line, detail by detail, metaphor by metaphor
teasing out that story
sussing out that meaning
picking out what resonates
and that’s why I named this site: betweenthelines
because that’s where all the magic is
hiding in plain sight
in all the little details
presto change-o
whether you find my discoveries to be delusional hooey or fascinating observations
they resonate with me
maybe with you too
all in all, I find them just too good to keep to myself
so...
I'm delighted to have participated in a sweet conversation on the podcast: Quarantine Phone Calls...
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