Charles freaking Boda

[AnnMichele]

Holy cow. Charles Boda. You spectacular writer, you.

If you haven't read Charles's article "Parks in Perspective," I highly recommend it. It's well-written and gives a perfect explanation as to why adults love theme parks so much. We all have different stories and paths as to why we love storytelling and escapism, but Charles hit the nail on the head. Great writing, Charles! Keep it up!
http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-...ling-theme-parks-and-the-virtues-of-escapism/

Favorite quotes:
"When faced with what life shouldn’t be, sometimes the only thing that can get us through is remembering what life should be."
"Life isn’t fair, and we learn this as children. Whatever path we decide to walk from then on, we learn it again, and again. The universe doesn’t compromise, the laws of time and space don’t bend to our will. Whatever good we intend, bad things will continue to happen which we are powerless to prevent. We each have only an infinitesimal amount of change we can effect in an almost insignificant little speck of the universe, and accomplishing even the tiniest thing on such a small scale can still feel too overwhelming for us to bear."
"We use storytelling to show ourselves how the world should be — to teach cautionary tales about the consequences of wrongdoing, and the rewards in store for the righteous. We start simple, with children’s books teaching the basics of morality in pop-up form. As we mature, so do our stories. Fables are replaced with complex thought-provoking questions on the nature of morality and reality, and cardboard pop-ups are replaced with CGI. This combination of life lessons and entertainment is crucial to our survival on this planet. Stories help us learn, stories distract us, and stories help us cope."
"The thing is, we know life isn’t fair, but that can’t be all we know. If we determine our worldviews using only the information reality presents us, our attitudes will end up mirroring the hate and pain we see daily. We will become unfair people, perfectly designed to perpetuate an unfair world. Bearing the burdens of a modern age can be overwhelming, and some of us require that break from reality to return refreshed."

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

A most exceptional article. Very well written. Thank you Charles!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Haven't read the article yet, but this guy is a great addition to the team. Love what he adds to the podcast discussions. Not sure whether to give credit to Charles for being great or to Pete for choosing him.

 

[DLgal]

Nice job, Charles. Very good writing there. I really enjoyed reading it!

 

[SuperPreparo]

Wow!! Great article!

 

[indoshakespeare]

"Re-read your myths, page through your comic books, watch your favorite epic films. What will you find? Orphans around every corner, discovering their secret and great importance."

They died????? Dead parents?????

 

[ToffPrincess]

He is a legend!

That article is a great insight into his character and a little heartbreaking too. He puts into words so well the pure escapism that is something like Disney to many.

 

[sara_s]

Very thoughtful writing - well done, Charles!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Needed to read that today!

 

[Quicklabs]

Wonderful article, Charles

 

[CogsworthTN]

Thank you Charles. You eloquently put into words how DH and myself feel about Disney. Our friends think we are insane to have vacationed at Disney the past four years... at our age (we are only in our early 50"s by the way). They constantly ask us do we get on the rides? This is Very annoying to us. Duh, yes we get on the rides. We also meet the characters, do rope drop, get excited while watching the fireworks, and love the amazing restaurants. And guess what? Come June 19th I will booking our trip for 2019. This past May we did an eleven day trip and it was awesome in every way. Going to Disney allows us to escape the stresses and mindset of being a sales rep and middle school teacher.

We want to go to a happy place, and for us, our happy place is Disney World.

 

[ccrosswhite]

Wow this was a great article. My wife is not a park lover, but I have told her the same thing. This is not like going to the mall or anything of the like, this is immersing ourselves in an experience. I fell in love with Star Wars at an early age because as a country boy, I was able to identify with Luke. I never wanted to work harvest in my grandfather's wheat field. When I was in a combine, my mind saw it as an x-wing and I escaped to another world in order to make it bearable. Going to Disney gives me a chance to live those dreams and share that experience with my children. My family never had much growing up, but my grandparent's made sure this Oklahoma boy experienced both Land and World as well as Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Sesame street park, Hershey world and others. They knew the power of imagination and how a vacation can be an escape from stress and life. Thank you for this article that I will be sure to pass on.

 

[vicwishes]

Thank you Charles for your exceptionally well-written and thoughtful article, and for sharing some of your life lessons. When I first went to WDW at age 61, I fell in love with the magic of feeling like a kid in a world of pure happiness. An older relative pointed out to me that WDW is the only place he knew where anyone of any age can feel like and act like the kid inside of us. He and I both lived through abusive childhoods where that feeling of pure joy was never experienced. Today, a feeling of pure joy fills me the minute I walk into the Magic Kingdom. You, Charles expressed in a better way than I could ever explain just what WDW means to me.

 

[Ravens girl]

I loved the article. Not only was it beautifully written but it conveyed what Disney means to me and apparently many others as well. His vulnerability added an extra dimension to the story and gave me a better insight into who this gentleman is. Thanks for writing this Charles

 

[adl79]

Thank you Charles.

 

[hertamaniac]

Read the article yesterday during my 2 hour oil change; it is very well written and appreciate his transparency.

Escapism takes on many forms and his article does make a very valid point.

 

[Carol unsworth]

I can’t put into words how much this article resonates with me. I am now in my fifties, discovered Disneyworld 20 years ago when our son was young and we have continued to visit yearly, sometimes twice a year , since.
This is the first article that I have ever read that can truly explain why I ‘need’ to keep visiting Disney, even though it is a nine hour flight and a lot of money away.

I couldn’t have explained to myself why I need to keep visiting, Charles has just explained to me why.
An amazing piece of writing, best thing I’ve ever read on any Disney forum, very intelligent, I hope there is a lot more to come.
My biggest fear now is Charles talents will be discovered by a larger media outlet and we will lose him from the DIS.

Thank You Charles, for your honesty,and for helping me understand myself .

 

[Horizons-1]

Read the article this morning. Have to agree with many others, and say that some of the reasons Charles provides for going to WDW as an Adult ring true for me. Even though my child hood did not match his, WDW still offers that avenue to allow myself, and my family, a time to let go most real world responsibilities and enjoy the moments.

Honestly, I didn't read many of the articles put out in the past, but the recent monthly articles started by the Team has captured my interest. Well done.

 

[wisteria1019]

Beautiful. Poignant. I have, at times, been embarrassed to share a future Disney visit with co-workers or friends because they come back with a gaze that makes me feel as though I have instantly grown a third head and am speaking in tongues. "Disney is a corrupt corporation, how can you support them...", "Again, didn't you just go last year...", "Now, I'm not being critical, but I don't get it..." Now, as I am about to embark upon my first solo adventure for a significant birthday in October, I offer no apologies, explanations, justifications. I'm going to one of my favorite places on the planet (and I have many) for ten days, gasp....ALONE! Many of us, wrap our arms around a wounded child that still whispers in our ears from time to time, in spite of our successes in the real/grown up world...sometimes she gets a psychic hug, sometimes a "shhhush" and now and then she gets a trip to Disney. Thank you, Charles.

 

[GeneralTso]

One of the best pieces I've seen posted. Very well written and so thoughtful. I'm happy to see Charles moving past the (ridiculous) hazing to a now celebrated member of this crew.
He's got a lot to offer, is clearly an exceptional writer with a clear thought process. He has raised the bar on articles and that's a good thing. Bravo.