day no. 16,415: therapy-speak is the orc-talk of the moderns

“Canaan was a land filled with giants. The invasion of Canaan was a war of giant-killing, and a type of the giant-killing Gospel. Giant-killing is a motif throughout Scripture… we all know the story of David and Goliath — but it must also be seen as part of a larger, ongoing war on giants. In the New Testament, Christ bound the strong man: what we find in the life and death of Jesus Christ is not an example of a godly giant fighting a puny devil. Rather, Christ became one of us, and, as a son of David, He bound and defeated the Goliath of that age. Christ takes all the strong man’s armor (his panoply) and divides his spoil. The Christian faith is a religion of world conquest. Are the giants who confront us big enough to qualify as giants? And have we taught our sons what they are supposed to do when they grow up? Part of fulfilling the Great Commission involves climbing the beanstalk.” — Douglas Wilson, Future Men

There is good reason for our long-standing literary tradition of giant-killing and dragon-slaying. These motifs are common in Christian writing because they are anchored in ancient, sacred Scripture. We were made to slay serpents and to cut giants down to size. God raises up Grendels as He raises up Beowulfs. He writes a dragon into the story, but never without a St. George to slay him.

“Christians are a race of dragon-fighters. Our sons are born to this. Someone ought to tell them.” — Douglas Wilson, Future Men

We need to tell our children these stories, not because we need them to believe in dragons and giants, but because we need them to believe in dragon-slayers and giant-killers.

"Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” ― G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

Without the legends, we are left with just the dragons. We know the dragon from birth from within and without, but we have no hope of seeing either dethroned. Unless, we’re told the stories. Tyranny is understood intuitively; liberty is only learned through story-telling.

“Dragon-lore is truer than therapy-speak.” — Douglas Wilson, Future Men

Fairy tales have a firmer grasp on reality than Freud. If we don't read the right kind of stories, we will lose our place and page. We won't find truth within, but we can find it up a beanstalk. Lounging on a couch has nothing on Logres and if you only have an hour, spend your time with the Pendragon instead of with positive thinking. Therapy-speak is merely the orc-talk of the moderns.