Original Tale - The Little Mermaid

Disney Films often show a fascination with teen love, as does much of our classical literature.

Children are always amazed to learn that the Shakespearean characters Romeo and Juliet were barely teenagers. At an age many young people have yet to have their first date, Romeo and Juliet fall in love, marry, and die.

What is our fascination with young love?

Cinderella is just a child, as is Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Wendy in Peter Pan also rides that fine line between child and woman.

Is it our need for innocent love, first love . . . purest when we are still young, and have yet to learn the harder truths of romance, love, and marriage, that makes these stories so appealing?

Is it cynical to suggest love can only be realized in the creative illusions of cinema and fiction?

Or does the very popularity of these romantic stories suggest there is in fact a love experience we all understand and can experience in our own lives?

Do you believe in romantic love?

What exactly is it, a temporary illusion to be enjoyed or the seeds of a life time of inner commitment and joy?

What counsel could you give a friend who is in love in a seemingly impossible romance as in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ?
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