Table of contents:
- "Let's play!" - asks the child. “All you have to do is play and play,” the tired adult thinks, reluctantly agreeing or refusing under some pretext. And the kid wants to play. He is mastering this life in such a way - in an exciting, easy, and most importantly, safe way
- What I miss so much
- Feel like a winner
- Allow yourself imperfection
- Live a little in the Shire
- To make friends
- To be a child again
Video: Why We Love Magic In Books And Films So Much - Self-development
"Let's play!" - asks the child. “All you have to do is play and play,” the tired adult thinks, reluctantly agreeing or refusing under some pretext. And the kid wants to play. He is mastering this life in such a way - in an exciting, easy, and most importantly, safe way
The ability and desire to play when we have grown up is a useful thing. But only an adult is somehow not to face, or something. However, we always have the opportunity to join the game without anyone knowing about it. Or, only those who would not condemn us knew. This opportunity is given to us by our favorite books and films. These are the "games" in which we want to participate.
What I miss so much
If you look at Maslow's pyramid, you can see an interesting thing: the higher the level of need, the more difficult it is to satisfy it. Basic needs - physiological ones - are most easily met. And the choice is not great: without food, water or sleep, you can die. It is not surprising that these things are perceived by us as necessary.
The needs of the higher levels are more difficult. Safety - everything is clear here, it is really important. But is it always possible to ensure it in practice? And if I can install an iron door, put money into an account in a reliable bank, carefully cross the road, then is it always psychologically safe for me?
To be loved and respected, to explore and learn, develop and realize your talents, see and feel the beautiful … All these are very important needs, but, sadly enough, we often do not have something from this list. Of course, you can live like this: without feeling respect or recognition, doing something you don't love, etc. But, of course, this missing thing cannot but be felt. A person feels pain, resentment, longing - and even if he tries to convince himself that everything is in order, it certainly does not get any easier.
However, if we are not broken by depression and feel at least some strength, then, consciously or not, we are still looking for what we are so lacking. Books and films are one of the available ways to “live” what cannot be obtained in reality. And first of all, these are stories with magical plots.
Feel like a winner
Magical plots give the hero amazing opportunities, which simply do not happen in ordinary life. In reality, you will not be able to instantly fly through the air through thousands of kilometers or defeat the dragon (and, fortunately, meet him). Why do we feel so involved in a situation when we observe something that really does not happen? Why is it difficult to break away from the description of Harry Potter's battle with the Basilisk? What fascinates the story of Narnia, where thirteen-year-old Peter Pevensie becomes High King?
Probably noticed: when we like a person, we start looking for what brings us together. And we are very happy if we find common interests, habits, and similar biographical facts. It brings us closer, even if we do not enter into close relationships. It's just nice to be like whoever you like
And you can find something in common with almost everyone, if you like him. Almost the same thing happens with the heroes of books and movies. We easily find something in common: a lonely childhood, a similar sense of humor, love of books, the ability to see beauty.
And if the hero and I are in some way similar, then imperceptibly, unconsciously, I identify myself with him. And then his success, courage, superpowers - and a little bit of mine. I join and feel like a winner. Closing the book, of course, I do not think that I can defeat the basilisk, but for some reason I feel a little better. Calmer and more confident, feeling hope for something good. For some, albeit a small victory in your usual, not heroic life.
Allow yourself imperfection
To be completely honest - do we always give ourselves such a right in reality? To be weak, lonely, ugly, tired, unhealthy - and to show it? For many, unfortunately, all these facts cause strong doubts about their own worth. Very often, subconsciously (or even consciously), a person recognizes himself as valuable only if he is successful, healthy, looks good (each has his own criteria). And much less often the value of oneself in this world is realized as something unconditional, as a given, as an axiom.
If it is difficult to be imperfect, the heroes of fairy tales help us in this. Think of any book or movie: at the beginning of the journey, the hero always experiences some difficulties or is simply considered an outsider. Frodo Baggins is a strange old man's nephew. Like his uncle, he makes friends with a wizard and other obscure personalities. Neighbors, simple hobbits, don't really understand him; and when he gets involved in dangerous adventures, it doesn't surprise anyone. Tyrion from Game of Thrones is a dwarf. Harry Potter is an orphan. Jake from The Dark Tower is lonely and unhappy, although he has parents.
The hero is allowed to be weak, imperfect, strange - all the same, he will eventually emerge victorious. Does this mean that I can still be imperfect?
Ask a friend to describe a character you both know well, and do the same yourself. The result may surprise you: the descriptions can vary greatly. Each of us sees in our beloved hero, first of all, what is important to him. In this sense, the hero, if he is beloved, becomes my "avatar": externally, he looks as the author intended, and internally - as I would like.
Live a little in the Shire
Good or bad, but the fact is that our favorite books and films take us away from reality. And it is especially easy for the fantasy genre. Please note: only those stories that take place in an amazing, not fully understood, but thought out world to the smallest detail become classics. It can be cozy in places, like Tolkien's Hobbit, or it can be dangerous and unpredictable, like the Lukyanenko Islands. Nevertheless, for some reason we are drawn there. In some of the worlds you want adventure, in some - a calm and quiet life.
Surprisingly, in the case of fantasy plots, any of these worlds can be a safe space for the reader (viewer). It's not even a matter of whether they are currently fighting a battle or eating fish with shavings in a cozy beaver burrow. More importantly, this space is definitely not here, not in that life where there are problems, disappointments, and troubles. Magic signs create a reliable border between my world and that, between the local adversities and those there, which will surely be solved in a magical way.
To make friends
Feeling belonging to a company, team, and sometimes family is another reason why you so want to get into the magical world. If the hero has friends, then together they overcome obstacles, help, support and even save each other.
It turns out easier and more effective than it could be in reality, even if in reality a person has the experience of such a wonderful friendship. But if there are no friends at all or they are far away, then you can “become” part of a team of superheroes or a magical brotherhood through a book or a movie.
To be a child again
In all honesty, we admit that not every childhood you want to repeat. But always, at the beginning of any life's journey, there is something that a person subsequently misses. It can be childish spontaneity, the ability to be surprised and experience delight, carelessness, lightness, fearlessness, interest in everything new. Of course, all this does not disappear without a trace. All of these qualities are cherished in the part of us that psychologists usually call the Inner Child.
The Inner Child is vividly manifested in us when we are engaged in creativity, doing what we love; we allow ourselves to play, fool around, experience happiness. And of course, when we see magic in books and films.
In childhood, miracles can be seen even in ordinary things. Magic is when green leaves bloom on trees in spring. When a rainbow is visible in the sky. When the fire dances in the fire When a toy or book that you so badly wanted, suddenly appears under the tree on December 31st.
