Roald Dahl's Creed: Live Without Fear of Being StrangeRoald Dahl did not write manifestos. He did not deliver long speeches about the meaning of life. But every one of his books, every letter, every action was imbued with the same spirit — the spirit of freedom, honesty, and unconditional love for children. He did not give advice directly, but his life was a continuous piece of advice. For children — how not to let adults break you. For adults — how not to forget that you were once a child. His creed is not carved in stone, but it can be read between the lines of \"Matilda,\" \"Charlie,\" \"James and the Giant Peach.\" And it is as relevant today as ever.Childhood Should Not Be Preparation for LifeDahl detested systems that turned children into docile robots. He himself had gone through British boarding schools, where older students bullied younger ones, and teachers whipped with rulers. He knew what fear and humiliation were like. And the main piece of advice he left for children was: \"Do not be afraid to be different.\" In his books, it is always those who do not fit in who win: the girl who reads smart books, the boy who dreams, the giant who does not want to eat people. Dahl taught that strangeness is not a flaw, but a sign of a lively mind.For adults, his lesson was even harsher: \"Do not harm your children.\" He showed in his stories that cruel parents and teachers are monsters who steal children's future. And he did not leave them any excuses. Even when the parents in his books were simply indifferent, they still ended up on the side of evil. Dahl believed that adults should listen to children, not order them around. This is not just a good piece of advice — it is the foundation of his philosophy.He himself lived by this rule. He read his stories to his children and rewrote them if they got bored. He did not divide literature into \"children's\" and \"adult\" — he wrote for those who know how to be surprised. And according to him, children and adults can sur ... Read more