When I was a child one of my favorite movies was Peter Pan. Even today there is something really cool about the whole story. I have fond memories of imagining what it would have been like to be a “part of that world“… (some of you will get that later) But anyways, there are several things that come to mind when I think of the story, but one of the major themes is about this inner struggle between (no… not good and evil) but the struggle between being a child and being an adult. The story itself encompasses many aspects of this conflict, and from many different perspectives. I grew up surrounded by the “wonderful world” of Disney, and was put in a educational program very early on that helped to harness creative thought processes… something I’m very thankful for today. Part of my childhood was very imaginative and full of adventures in far off lands where I had to rescue the danzel in distress. The other part of my childhood was spent flying around the room or climbing up the staircase with three claws extended from my hands. But point being… I liked to use my imagination. But at the same time I remember when I was like eight years old wanting to grow up and go to work like my dad. I also wanted to grow a mustache… which I made him do instead, lol. But As I got older I realized that I didn’t want to be a grown up. I wanted their privileges, and their freedom; but to be an adult? Those boring unimaginative businessmen in the real world? Not them… I made a promise to myself kinda… I didn’t want to lose my youth… my inner child and my fresh creative ideas. So part of me grew up, while another part didn’t. But the older I get the more I get annoyed with people my age and younger. I’ve always complained about a lack of imagination… but now they’ve replaced imagination with pointless humor and conversations about the stupidest things. But then I wonder where the line is… I act dumb sometimes like a kid too. And of course I always justify it. I look at others and say, “I wish they’d just grow up, but at the same time I’m not sure I have. It’s quite a confusing mess. It’s easy to look at others and say, “wow, I’m so much more mature than them,” but it’s a lot harder to say, “wow, I act just like that sometimes.” Perhaps God intended for us to live inside of this tension. We simply must learn to balance between a creative child like side as well as a wiser more adult side. A lot of people in the world fall into either one or another side of the spectrum. Some take on the roll of the pirate while others remain the lost boys. I love how the movie Hook illustrates this. But I guess ultimately what I’m getting at is that I think we should all be both in a sense… a people who think clearly and formally as well as a people who think irrationally and casually. (quite the paradox… I know!) But remember… even pirates can learn to fly. p.s. (this blog opened up a whole lot of related ideas in my mind, so stay tuned for much more on this subject)
