Is Love a Fairy Tale?

Romance in movies. It seems too easy. We attribute it to the magic of Hollywood. It's nice, we wish it could be true, but life doesn't work like a fairy tale. Or does it?

Sure, Hollywood adds lots of bells and whistles, and the guys in the movies have unbelievably gorgeous women fawning after them. But why is it happening, besides just to sell movie tickets? Why have these "unbelievable relationships" shown up time and time again throughout history, and why do we long for them?

It's because these tales are capturing something deeper, something true about all relationships. And that's vulnerability. Not just any vulnerability either, but vulnerability that comes from sharing experiences with another person. When we are pushed up against the wall, when life asks everything from us, we fight with everything we have. We are bared before ourselves and those around us. We see what we are made of and who we truly are.

And if someone sees us in these moments, understands, and truly loves who they see, why does this have to be a fairy tale? It's not some Hollywood mystery. It's not just something to make us feel good. It's how life works. We seek to be understood by others, to be known. And we long to know others.

[caption id="attachment_1381" align="alignnone" width="570"] Is it him? Or do the girls like the robots?[/caption]

We may not have to fend off an alien invasion ever, but perhaps someone will be with us in those difficult moments, sharing that experience with us. Shia LaBeouf has a woman by his side in every Transformers film, a woman he has no chance with, and they put up with his incessant screaming because they are in that experience together.

Ok so Transformers probably isn't the best series to point all of this out, since it's obvious that "film magic" graces every frame of those films. But if we're living life with people around us when the hard times come, and the special person is by your side, perhaps love will save the day. Or, you still don't believe it, you can hopefully continue to find hope in stories.