“If you want your children to be
intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent,
read them more fairy tales.”
-Albert Einstein
This could be a slip between the cup and the lip, yet
risking it. While doing a mathematical sum, if we missed on a particular step,
the entire sum was considered wrong. In science, if the diagram or step or line
was missing our marks crashed down, the answer should be perfect and to the
point. But, with literature the answer is never always wrong, if it’s not
specific. A reason that Literature as an assumption is always close to the truth,
yet is not the absolute truth. It is this truth which opens the door for other
subjects, that there isn’t absolute truth, and we are actually are living life
of assumptions. The reason of writing all this begins with Einstein’s thought
of, “If you want your children to be
intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent,
read them more fairy tales.” What actually did he mean by it? Why should
children read fairy tales? What was the logic that the modern genius posed? What
did Dr. Einstein mean when he said “that creative imagination is the essential
element in the intellectual equipment of the true scientist, and that fairy
tales are the childhood stimulus to this quality”? How could fairy tales be a
stimulus for scientist?
Let’s take a look at the conversation where he made this statement:
Once upon a time the famous physicist Albert Einstein was confronted by an
overly concerned woman who sought advice on how to raise her small son to
become a successful scientist. In particular she wanted to know what kinds of
books she should read to her son.
“Fairy Tales,” Einstein responded
without hesitation.
“Fine, but what else should I read
to him after that?” the mother asked.
“More fairy tales,” Einstein stated.
“And after that?”
“Even more fairy tales,” replied the
great scientist, and he waved his pipe like a wizard pronouncing a happy end to
a long adventure.
While we might never know the full,
accurate details for Einstein’s fairy-tale adage, embedded in it is something
the celebrated physicist felt very strongly about: the importance of the
liberal arts and humanities in education.
With every question, as to what
might be read the answer was same, only the difference being “more”. When our
mind is active, it gets lost into multiple worlds and for a genius it must be
something like a puzzle. The only answer possible, when we day dream and escape
from the real world. According to Annie Dillard, Day Dreaming is delicious art
of living, which guides us.
So taking myself as a stimulus as
what Einstein and Annie Dillard said, as a child I was always lost weaving
stories with open eyes, but never writing them. Maybe way back then drawing the
castle in the mind’s eye was more important than writing; needless saying that
dreaming was my favourite pastime. But, I read stories a lot, transferring me
into another world, in one word Escape. I visualized everything happening in
real. Words transferring everything I read into a vision. Now, I know the most
important thing to me in this world is words. But, other than appreciating the
work of others, creating one’s own is nothing less than a magic. I liked the Hindi
serial years back, “Mungeri Lal ke hasin sapne” as a child, which transits the
protagonist into another world; because the world of reality never gave him an
opportunity to play the role he wanted to play. Then there is this well - known
movie Inception, which takes you into Dreams within Dreams, and which if not
destroyed on return, can make one lose track of the current world. So, is it
wrong altogether to dream, to escape into another world and be creative, find
patterns which others would initially laughed at, and be called crazy. That’s
what we do, we think Scientist or Research Scholars, live in the world of their
own and have no connection with reality, then why is that we want our kids be
to like Einstein. We kill the creativity of the child, when we kill their idea
and rubbish it. So, what’s the solution? If they are not studying, tell them to
work on their idea. At their age they are full of ideas, enthusiasm and
creativity. The idea that they share with you as a child, don’t expect them to
be successful in their first attempt, never discourage them. Tell them to try
again next day, ask them what is that they want. Let them find their way and
guide them. If you understand because of your life experience, help them in
their ideas. And, if you don’t understand the working of their mind, help them
in their interest… and from there would come the Explorers, the Travellers, Adventurers
of Real life heroes who will make a difference and help them stand out in the
crowd. Another reason why reading of fairy tales is important, that everything
began with our mind, the collective unconscious of our forefathers… which began
with Oral Stories, later written down to “Once upon a time…”… all suggestive of
the fact that the pattern, solution to unanswered question lies within the
mind, which at times escapes from its own brain to visualize the probable
solution and in order to escape and give a boast to their creative mind, they
should be read fairy tales. Concluding it with what Kaufmann said about
Creativity, "Creative expression is self-expression” and “is
nothing more than an individual expression of your needs, desires and
uniqueness."
mythicthinking.org/.../the-great-debate-myth-versus-fairy-tale-in-joseph-...
