Fairytales, fables, and other cautionary and emotionally evoking folk stories and poems used to serve as teaching tools for complex literate civilizations to Canonize important morals and values that structured the greater good of a society. They were a major source of education. Besides what is mirrored in family behaviors, engaging imagination stimulates specific aspects of cognitive development.
I found it so interesting to learn from evangelical relatives that fairytales and fables are considered by their pastors as “evil” and subversive. Instead preferring literal, biblical stories with concrete absolutes and consequences (even if the bible, torah, and koran were initially written as ‘code’).
Embracing these religious texts as literal truths Actively limits exposure to abstract cultural ideas (which reinforces personal responsibility and autonomy ) and favors rote submission.
Folk tales (and songs) are the life blood of cultural roots and personal identification. It would be very healthy for us if we once again embraced them as reminders of our cultural diversity.
We can be our greatest selves if we embrace our roots and shadows (qualities that don’t support the presiding status quo). Only then can we release what no longer serves and create a world we all want to live in.
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