A Never Never Land Existence & The Peter Pan Syndrome
A couple of years ago, I was cruising my local bookstore, Warwick's, near to my studio in SoCal and Peter Pan by JM Barrie was sitting on a table. I scooped it up and added it to my pile of YA Sci Fi and Fashion Mags for purchase. I love reading children's books classics. I own Wizard of Oz, The Little Prince, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, collections of Hans Christian Anderson & Brothers Grimm, every book by Roald Dahl and now Peter Pan. In my weirdo world, I collect these books to some day read to my very hypothetical kids that I am never sure I will have. Hello Peter Pan Syndrome. But really I own them because I love to read them from an adult perspective. They are classics for a reason. And the Disney-esque & Hollywood versions that have made the stories familiar in our pop culture are often very far off from the original stories and their nuances. These classic books share a story of human nature. Rereading them as an adult, I see the compassion and/or the lesson that is read between the lines. Peter Pan is a fabulous re-read these days to me because of it's reference in our current culture and my generation as a syndrome. I could be accused of it. And so could most of my friends. This book really struck me again to re-read when the NY Times recently featured an article about the Death of Adulthood in American Culture. I am not even going to go into my cliff's notes of version of the book, I won't pretend my writing skills could even translate how the book makes me think or feel. But I do love the Intro by Naomi Lewis in my version that draws comparisons to the journey of life and finding yourself and balance and love. Enough philosophical shit. I love this book too because there are Fairies and Mermaids and Pirates and Native Americans. Some of my favorite things ever. Tinkerbell is an all time hero and so is Tiger Lily. So download it now and get your classics on. Happy Reading!