Peter Pan, Wendy, and The Tragedy of Never Growing Up.

growing up hurts, but never growing up is worse

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As a child, I loved Peter Pan. I mean, it had just about everything: Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and Wendy (Wendy!) magical crocodiles and pirates.

But in my head, Peter Pan and Wendy would always end up being together. I didn’t know how, since Wendy had accepted her mortality and Peter Pan would be a child forever but in my head, the laws of logic would be defied and they would be the same age and still be together, and live happily ever after.

Don’t ask.

Then this scene happened

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6nBzOQzgg8

(don’t read the book, I can’t tell which one is more heartbreaking, the movie or that).

And then I realised, Peter Pan wasn’t just a magical story of childhood love and Lost Boys and jealous fairies.

It was the tragedy of not growing up.

Peter Pan is magical. Like most children are magical in that charming child-like ways only children can have. Children also have multi-potentiality, as they don’t need to pick yet the sacrifice they will bear. However as time wears on, we have to pick a path, whether it’s in choosing a career, wanting to have a family or not, where to live etc. As we accept our mortality, and the fact that time will pass regardless of our action or inaction we decide its best to follow a course.

Wendy did that. She grew up and accepted her mortality and got married (spoiler alert, unfortunately not to Peter). Peter on the other hand, lost what could have been.

At the end of the day, Peter Pan is a warning. That we cannot be children forever. Time passes, regardless if we choose to mature and become responsible, or the opossite.

Otherwise being like Peter Pan is

That 30 year old who still lives in his mother basement.

That 40 year old who can’t fend for himself.

That 29 year old who cannot do his own laundry, not because he can’t but because he decided never to learn.

You get the idea.

You have to be a force for good. Being a force for good is picking a damn sacrifice, going forth and making the world a better place with your work.

Otherwise we lose our Wendy.