When we were small children trying to get to sleep, a creaking floorboard was really scary. Who or what could be making the noise? The only way to make sense of the experience was to fantasize: there's probably a crocodile under the bed.
Children scare themselves silly like this, but while they have no knowledge of heating pipes, they have to engage with make-believe to bridge the gap between experience and knowledge. As time passes and children learn about the effect of heat on pipes and floorboard, they still often prefer the crocodile theory. Fear, within a safe context, is fun.
Children are born with all kinds of human emotions, but they are also inexperienced and longing to explore their feelings. Fantasy is an excellent, "safe" way to do it-going out to find real crocodiles to play with is neither practical nor safe.
Fantasy offers children an exploration of the too big, too wide, too dangerous world that is getting closer and more real every day. Fantasy needn't just be dragons-it can be any element of pretend. As they grow, children need stories that include divorce, loss, war, falling in love, becoming a hero and saving the world, which help them develop emotions in various situations and get them ready for real life when it hits.
Most importantly, fantasy isn't just for children. Growing up, facing failure and defeat, coming to terms with betrayal (背叛) and disappointment-all the stuff of emerging adult life also has to be faced and coped with. Psychological analysis and comforting have their place, but the most important tool, with which we as humans face reality, is the creation of the fantasy story.
Taking one step away from reality to the "safe" place of pretend prepares us to look at the world's hard realities in the face. From there we can name the horrors and celebrate the joys before going back to reality, with a clearer perspective on situations that bother us.
