Don't give up stories, they can save your life.
On how fairy tales continue to guide me, even into adulthood.
Even today, in my venerable old age of 30, one of my favorite movies is "Spirited Away", from Myazaki. I could argue about the intrinsic quality of the work, but the real reason it is dear to me is has nothing to do with its obvious artistic qualities.
The first time I saw it (I was about 19), from the first frame, the atmosphere of this movie transported me right into my childhood dreams. And every time I watch it again, it never fails to reconnect me instantly to a primal part of myself, both serene and enthusiastic, generally stifled by "the realities of life".
When I was a kid, my favorite dreams might have been regarded by others as nightmares. But this notion was foreign to me (at the time, I had the ability to change dreams at will, and thus never found myself "trapped"), and I reveled in the strange and dangerous worlds and fabulous adventures that filled my nights.
In recent months, as my move to the US got closer, I saw my anxiety increase at the pace of a Republican war-horse at full gallop. Suddenly, the prospect of living in a country where thousands of people die each year because of lack of health insurance, where abortion and the pill are still put in question, where there is no legislation on chemicals used in food and furniture, and where they advertise weapons on TV was just terrifying.
A few days ago I bit the bullet and started by unsubscribing from the hundreds of newsletters I'm suscribed to, all along the lines of "Live Organic", "Awareness Brigade", "Vote Obama(care)" and other excellent initiatives that merely depress me by the injustice and aberrations they denounce. To inform oneself is fine, if one has the means to do something about it. As I am neither a U.S. citizen nor in a phase of my life where I could dedicate much time to activism, I will limit the information to avoid being consumed by a permanent and petrifying rage at the state of things.
Directly after this spring cleaning, I pulled out my secret weapon, namely the movie mentioned above. And as the usual euphoria enveloped me, as Chihiro discovered again the scary universe of Yubaba's Baths, the solution to my terror came to me. I would treat my life as if I was in a story. After all, leaving France for the US is not so different. I'm entering a world that is both magical and dangerous, just like in my dreams. And just like Chihiro, the only way to make the most of it is to take things as they are, work hard and never lose sight of my own identity (those who have seen the film will understand).
It sounds trite, put like that. You may say "we well know that". But there is a world between knowing and feeling. And I'm beginning to think that maybe, if we use them wisely and not as an escape, some things related to our childhood can help us be better adults in a world where hope is fast becoming a luxury.
If you have not seen Spirited Away, I recommend it highly. It will undoubtedly not have the same effect on you (you must be weird to be reassured by this film), but it is the masterpiece of the Ghibli studios.
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