Fairytales and Dragons

Looks like hanging out on Twitter can get me some interesting quotes to work with, and the tradition of retweets allows me to hear from those I don’t directly follow.  This quote is from Joseph Uranowski (@uranowski), via Renee Stephen (@reneestephen):

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten

In the traditional dragon fairy tale, the beast destroys a village or two, then sets up residence near town.  He then tells the locals that, if they send him a virgin sacrifice every month, he won’t destroy them.  The townsfolk, eager to not be like the village, agree.  Eventually, some hero says “screw this bullshit”, and goes to kill the dragon.  The townsfolk try to talk him out of it because they’re afraid that it will get worse, but when the hero kills the dragon they all find out how much better it is without him.

Compare that to reality.

The dragon represents some sort of evil or problem.  Either it shows up gradually and nobody notices, or it shows up suddenly and takes everybody by surprise.  There are two solutions to the problem:

1. Send out the monthly sacrifices.  As long as it’s I’m safe, who cares if someone else is hurt or killed?  The “big bad” will continue to not hurt me, and I can live happily ever after.
2. Take the risk and kill the dragon.  I put myself in harm’s way.  There is a risk of failure, but success means that the dragon will continue to kill nobody, because the dragon is no longer in a condition to do so.

Life has many dragons.  Some are there for anybody to see.  Some are in your own life.  Many times, you won’t even think the dragon is there, because someone else is continuing to sacrifice on your behalf, yet there he lurks in the shadows, ready to pounce as soon as the sacrifices dry up, or when he decides that once a month isn’t very filling.

Look for the dragons in your life.  Then decide how you can handle them.