I would imagine that most of us, at some point, have been told to believe in our dreams or pursue our goals. When we were young and naïve, it seemed only logical that we would conquer the world if only we could muster enough faith, trust, and pixie dust. However, too often, “Sorry kid, life sucks” replaces “I believe in happily ever after” in our teenage vocabulary. We learn to face the reality that the world has no consideration for our personal dreams.

Of course, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with fairy tales. When we read news articles about people living in constant fear for their lives and terrorist attacks in Paris, Syria, Baghdad, Mali and Beirut, why would we spend our time reading Snow White? I'll tell you why.

I don’t deny that sometimes fairy tales seem trite and silly in comparison to breaking news. C.S. Lewis, the author of the "Chronicles of Narnia,” once said that “someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” Eventually we will realize that fairy tales hold an important place on the shelves of our lives. Fairy tales hold truths that we, as adults, tend to forget in our callous, disillusioned lives. No, I’m not claiming that fairies exist, but I do believe that fairy tales tell us truths about kindness, hope, and love that we often forget as adults.

Last

summer, the new Cinderella movie hit the screens, bringing many adults to tears with the message to “have courage and be kind.” As we grow up and face the pain of the world, we try to protect ourselves from getting hurt. We stop believing in optimism and the goodness of humanity. Instead of viewing the world through eyes that see everyone as a potential Cinderella, we assume we’re talking to the next Wicked Step-Mother. However, denying people kindness because of our own fear that they will hurt us creates a world where compassion is seen as weakness and bullies are viewed as heroes.

The reason fairy tales are important for adults is because they remind us to have courage and stand up against injustice. They inspire us to be the heroes we wish for in the world. Even when we feel inundated by news of death and terror, fairy tales tell us stories about good triumphing over evil. In the words of the author G.K. Chesterton: “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” This is a message for all ages, not just children. There are so many dragons in the world and so few people with the courage to stand up against them. Fairy tales are for all those who need to be reminded that love and kindness still have power and who need the encouragement to be fearless in sharing that truth.