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I Believe in Fairies! Don't you?
 I Believe In Fairies!
Pixie, nymph, sprite, brownie, gnome, elf, goblin, and fairy godmother; all names we are familiar with.
Throughout history people have believed in these little beings, some more than others. All of these creatures of fairy
are believed to be endowed with the power of magic and enchantment. They appear in stories from all over the world.
And so I have to ask myself why? Why, as humans, do we find the need to make up these stories if they are not based
on reality?
There are many theories as to where fairies come from. One of the most interesting to me,
having been raised Catholic, is the theory that connects fairies with the souls of the dead. It is believed that fairies
are actually the souls of the un-baptized, especially children who have died in infancy. Of course this was a belief
of long ago. Ask a Catholic today what they believe fairies to be and they will look at you with a slightly confused
look, perhaps with a suggestion to seek professional help. People just don't believe in fairies anymore. Many
will love the fairy art and the fairy stories, but very few actually believe in the existence of these creatures. And
it seems it's not just one group who doesn't believe, but a score of others from a variety of religions and backgrounds.
And that saddens me.
I remember sitting in my living room watching the movie Finding Neverland, starring
Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. It is the story of JM Barrie, the Scottish author who wrote the fantastic tales of Peter
Pan and the Lost Boys, and his relationship with the family who inspired his story. I didn't think I would like
it, but Sarah, my girlfriend, made me watch it. Winter, my daughter, was too young to actually understand what was going
on, but, she, for some reason, through a child's innocence knew what was happening in the segment where the audience,
who the play was being performed for in the movie, is asked to clap their hands if they believe in fairies. Tink was
dying, but everyone brought her back to life by clapping and believing. I watched my daughter start clapping and jumping
and yelling "I beweeve! I beweeve!" And the thing here was that she meant it. She believed!
We have lost our childlike innocence. To believe doesn't mean you have to leave your brain behind
in a basket. To believe is to see through a child's eyes; without prejudice, without scorn, hatred, and suspicion.
It doesn't matter to a child if she looks silly doing something or believing something. A child will make friends
with any other child no matter what they look like. Children simply believe.
Maybe we need to put our adult
'hats' down and just relax and believe. I know that fairy has retreated because our world simply doesn't
believe anymore. And it makes me sad
Don't you?
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