My Inspirations: #8 Finding Neverland

 

Growing older is tough, not that the rest of you haven't figured that out yet, and yet somehow we manage to do things to make it even tougher. We often give ourselves unreasonable expectations, we care too much about our reputations, people telling us to act our age, and all other sorts of things that take away from the joy of living. This is the kind of world we find ourselves in at the beginning of the movie. But J.M. Barrie comes and shows us just how important it is to be able to play and imagine. It is indisputable that play is both physically and mentally healthy and stimulating for both children and adults. It is a fundamental part of being human, so why do we go out of our way to stifle this wonderful outlet of creativity? My guess is fear. The fear of looking foolish. As we read earlier, C.S. Lewis put it splendidly in his On Three Ways of Writing for Children, “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” You can't expect to have a healthy life if you're living in fear of what others will think of you. Do yourself a favor; go play. However that looks for you, just do it. We all want to, even if we don't say it.