Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Relationships and the Cinderella* Effect

By Chris Dawson


From the moment we are placed in the cot our heads are filled with tales and ventures which exist only in 'far away places'. This introduction in life, should be sufficient to tell us the preceding tale is pure fantasy; but we are young, naive, full of imagination, and led to believe that if we are fortunate enough, one day, we too will be in a relationship and live ''happily ever after".

The idea of a bedtime story is excellent for many reasons it encourages family time the children are quiet it aids in the experience of language and is normally a far better alternative option to the abundance of screen-entertainment that is on offer for the new generation.

However the recurrent foundational basis of such fairytales can lead to an entire range of unrealistic expectations in later life when it comes to relationships and the real world. These stories lead us to believe that there's one 'soul mate ' with which a fairy tale ending is achievable. They suggest that true happiness is only achievable if you have companionship. All too commonly women are depicted in film as depressed and forsaken till they discover their 'prince'.

The storylines intrinsically suggest that 'finding love ' is the struggle, and that when you have - the rest will slot into place. Meanwhile, in the actual world, circumstances such as work, health, finances, debt, youngsters, chores, family and death, just to cite a couple of issues, repeatedly impact the picture perfect life that we grew up idolising.

Fairytales frequently make the phenomenon of 'love at first sight ' appear common, when in actual fact it is the exception to the rule. Such an event emphasize's the physical sides of a relationship, and validates unachievable expectations because it simultaneously undermines closeness and mutual respect as the foundations of a genuine, loving relationship.

A great relationship allows us to embrace better versions of ourselves and incentivizes ordinary folks to reach astonishing outcomes. The irony could be that the tale of Cinderella, one of the well known stories about a deep and long lasting love, has given an unattainable dream, leaving us wanting more rather than seeing what's great around us

*Cinderella is a widely recognized Walt Disney Production.




About the Author:



No comments: