Once Upon a Time

For centuries, fairy tales were the stuff of myth and romance, generated and perpetuated by older generations to teach moral thought to younger generations ... and also to instill fear and dread in the little ones so they'd behave.
But somewhere in the 20th century everything went ker-plop. Real people began living as if there could be an endless supply of milk from a single ewer; as if Prince or Princess Charming would spot them on the street and propose while showering them with riches and kisses; as if the goose that laid golden eggs would be theirs for the taking, and so spending entire lives looking for beanstalks; as if growing old was a thing of nightmares while staying forever young needed only a sprinkle of magic dust; as if killing the dragon that was terrorizing the king would make them heirs to the throne. As if.
I blame the Disney phenomenon for our current dilemma: young people finding cartoons and fantasy more attractive than real life. Who can blame them? But the result is escapism and avoidance and interior landscapes filled with promises of untold riches, glorious love, beautiful bodies, painless efforts, endless good health. And happily ever after.
Oh, I know that I'm over-simplifying and over-generalizing. ALL young people are not persuaded, subconsciously, to believe their efforts in school and at work and at home are the punishments of gnomes. But witness the generations of youth and post-youth who were raised by the square box at home, by the larger version in movie theaters, and compare that box to the personal computer. Fantasy becomes real life when streaming video makes heroes, heroines, villains, monsters of the most innocuous of us. Life outside of fantasy just seems, too often, not worth living. (from http://www.disneyesque.blogspot.com/)