G.K. Chesterton wrote, "Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon. Exactly what the fairy tale does is this: it accustoms him for a series of clear pictures to the idea that these limitless terrors had a limit, that these shapeless enemies have enemies in the knights of God, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear." - Tremendous Trifles (1909), XVII: "The Red Angel"
Children have a better understanding of the world than many adults. Adults rationalize and form opinions that fit their own ideas, not the truth. Adults will ignore truth for money, power, knowledge, sex or many other temptations put before us. Adults will deny the truth, denial is easy. Living truth is hard. Each person is molded into a zombie by society through education, media, politics and other sources; these sources do are not necessarily focused on the truth. Media and education have never been concerned with the truth, these are businesses. Though education should not be a business, but a place for people to seek the truth and learn to think. Politics is the business of control in order to make money for those in office and get them re-elected. Fairy tales are an education that cuts through politics and lies to reveal the world.
Fairy tales teach the most important lesson in the world: that we are not alone in the fight and the enemy can be slain. The enemy of us all has been defeated, it was done over two thousand years ago, because the battle is with beings who exist outside of time the battle still rages. The war has been won. Christ won the war. Fairy tales teach us how to fight the dragons. Each person needs to learn how to fight the dragons and stand up to the darkness. These stories teach us to find the light that was lite for us. We tell fairy tales to remind each other that there is light.
Fairy tales remind us that the war is over, the dragon is defeated, but each day we must fight the battles. The war is over, but the battle rages. The tales help us to see the weapons in the arsenal. Each of us takes into battle: honor, hope, faith, truth and love. Each of us must choose to pick up these weapons or leave them laying on the floor. These are our armor and swords to defend us. It is up to us to fight. The war might be over but the battles for each soul must be fought. Preparation for battle is the reason we read children fairy tales.
