Magic Wands, Tiaras and Fairy Dust – Story from a Perfect World

Ayn Rand in her famous book ‘Atlas Shrugged’ described her hope of a world away from this world where only the like-minded fews who swear and live by ‘enlightened self-interest’ would live together creating a perfect manifestation of all her deepest philosophies. Spending a few days at Disney World, in a twisted way, reminded me of similar notion – magic created at every moment away from a world of bland reality.

The connotations of the visit hit me only after I reached and observed people ticking off their checklist of things to do to achieve the perfect ‘American Dream’. Surprisingly experiencing Disney World is there on the majority’s list. Most of the conversation that effortlessly fell on my ears revolved around whether and how many times they have been here and most importantly shown their kids around. The idea is certainly not hard to grasp considering the fact that the astronomical prices of everything around can very easily be correlated with some sort of status achievement.

The vision of the place is magnanimous. Moreover it flows through every strand and piece of the enterprise. Despite the breadth what surprises one is the total absence of reiteration in any of the offerings. Each ride, musical, movie, and even food is slightly or mightily different than the other. The creativity, as expressed by Disney engineers aptly called ‘imagineers’ is certainly par excellence.

Despite the innovation one can still cluster lucid themes. There is an underlying tone flowing through everything that continuously urges you to follow your dreams because ‘…dreams do come true.’ There is a resonating message articulating that there is a prince or a princess hiding in all of us. There is an echoing lesson that “it’s a small world” embellished through diversity. And there is perceptible crux that the only thing we need is imagination.

Creating this fairytale world has in no way compromised with the ‘corporate-like’ execution of the operations. Handling this huge amount of traffic each day is laudable in and of itself. The application of cutting-edge technology can challenge any high-tech organization. But the most striking facet is the ‘text-book’ like presence of a great leader that guides the future course despite the physical absence of the leader. The clarity of Walt Disney’s vision makes it possible to continually improvise and expand without diluting the spirit of the enterprise. Each subsequent visit offers something new to the customer, even when the man who thought it all is no more there.

Lest it sounds absolutely hunky-dory, the place was not devoid of its lacuna. Each day ended with display of elaborate fireworks which would give shivers down the spine of anyone with even an iota of environmental consciousness considering the amount of pollution generated every evening. The proximity and number of people surprisingly evaporated the omnipresent ‘American etiquettes’ of ‘you first’ encouraging all to literally step on each other’s toes and turn a blind eye. And the inaccessibility to the outside world that forced one to buy everything at quadrupled price almost made it feel unethical.

There are those who keep coming back while there are those who find the artificiality of it all almost nauseating. The phenomenon that is the Walt Disney World is so pervasive that one may hate it, one may love it but it certainly is difficult to ignore it. Like they say in the movie Matrix “Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” And sometimes it is worth it to be in an all-perfect chimerical world offering a welcome break from everything that is so real. Reflecting on the whole experience, I am reminded of what Cypher says in Matrix “You know, I know this steak doesn't exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize? Ignorance is bliss.”