422 King's Way
Lynchburg, VA 24502
Tel. 385 8946 (H); 522 5991 (W)
News and Advance
Box 10129
Lynchburg, VA 24506 - Fax - 385 5538 November 22, 1998
Dear Editor,
Have you been to Narnia? If not, I would strongly recommend you to do so. This fascinating land will not disappoint you. I have been there myself. As a matter of fact I visit Narnia almost everyday.
Some of you might argue that Narnia is not a real place. The fact that Narnia is an imaginary country does not make it unreal, or untrue. Yes, we need reality and reason to find truth. But without imagination we cannot find meaning.
Some may say that Narnia is a story for children. I would respond with a quote by the author of the Narnia Chronicles (CS Lewis): "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally worth reading at the age of fifty. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all. "
Some might even fear imagination and think it as inevitably evil. They forget that they can't believe something they cannot first imagine to be true.
In the last thirty years we have been detached from the natural environment by the blessings of technological developments. We have come to think of the world as an aggregation of physical objects put together by some complex logic. Survival of the fittest, not functional and harmonious forms have shaped our worldview. As a consequence we have difficulty believing in anything that is not practical or visible (never mind virtual). In the process we become very inconsistent. For example, we accept virtual reality, but have a hard time with real imagination. We have grown to embrace the practical, artificial world more readily than the natural one.
That is when God's gift of imagination is crucial. We need good imaginative stories to give us insight and meaning. After the media indigestion with the presidential scandal we need more than ever morally sound tales to clean and restore our imagination.
That’s when visiting Narnia may help rekindle and restore our humanity and promise of eternity. In the Chronicles, the children are taught to act with courage, honesty, responsibility and moral values. Corruption, expediency and dishonesty are not tolerated. Love, gentleness, peace, goodness and faith are valued. The Narnian stories give us a greater understanding of our fallen nature, and at the same time give us hope. With the arrival of Aslan (the great Lion) the beauty of the land is restored and all possibilities expanded.
The Chronicles are not just good stories, nor are theyprimarily religious, Christian allegories. They are much more than that. They serve to enhance moral education and build character, independent of our age.
This coming weekend is a good time to visit Narnia or many of the other wonderful places created by the healthy, whole and clear imagination of CS Lewis. On November 29, a hundred years ago, Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast to become one of the most compelling writers of this century. Read the Chronicles or the Interplanetary stories - you will be transported not to an artificial virtual reality, but to a true, sound imaginary land. See you there.
Yours truly,
Paulo F. Ribeiro, PhD
422 King's Way
Lynchburg, VA 24502
Tel. 385 8946 (H); 522 5991 (W)
News and Advance
Box 10129
Lynchburg, VA 24506 - Fax - 385 5538 November 22, 1998
Dear Editor,
Have you been to Narnia? If not, I would strongly recommend you to do so. This fascinating land will not disappoint you. I have been there myself. As a matter of fact I visit Narnia almost everyday.
After the media indigestion with the presidential scandal we need more than ever morally sound tales to clean and restore our imagination. C.S. Lewis' The Narnia Chronicles, while considered children's books, should be considered by all who long for good, well-written, morally uplifting stories. Lewis said, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally worth reading at the age of fifty. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all. ..."
Visiting the land of Narnia may help rekindle and restore our humanity and hope of eternity. In the Chronicles, the children are taught to act with courage, honesty, responsibility and moral values. Corruption, expediency and dishonesty are not tolerated. Love, gentleness, peace, goodness and faith are valued. The Narnian stories give us a greater understanding of our fallen nature, and at the same time give us hope. With the arrival of Aslan (the great Lion) the beauty of the land is restored and all possibilities expanded.
The Chronicles are not just good stories, nor primarily religious, Christian allegories. They are much more than that. They serve to enhance moral education and build character, independent of our age.
This coming weekend is a good time to visit Narnia or many of the other wonderful places created by the healthy, whole and clear imagination of CS Lewis. On November 29, a hundred years ago, Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast to become one of most compelling writers of this century. Read the Chronicles or the Interplanetary stories - you will be transported not to an artificial virtual reality, but to a true, sound imaginary land. See you there.
Yours truly,
Paulo F. Ribeiro, PhD