Neverland: was Peter Pan really wrong?

Today the Prophet busts your divine spheres with a beautiful, century-old anarchist fairy tale...

by The Prophet — 2026-01-15

In Italian, Neverland is called L'isola che non c'è, “the island that isn't there”. It is also the title of a 1980 song by the singer-songwriter Edoardo Bennato, from Sono solo canzonette (“They're only little songs”), an album built entirely on the story of Peter Pan.

1 Having written about magic and fairy tales, there is no avoiding writing about a beautiful, century-old anarchist fairy tale: “Neverland”.

2 It is an anarchist fairy tale in the full sense, even though nobody wanted to notice.

3 The official original tale, dated 1904, went through many changes over time, all of them children of white magic, all the way to 1953 and the release of Uncle Walt's cartoon.

4 The original tale has been heavily adapted, but fairy tales change over time, and rightly so, when the adaptation is meant to carry their magic as well as possible in a given age.

5 The Magic of Peter Pan was captured by the man who is, in the Prophet's view, the greatest Italian singer-songwriter, Bennato, who devoted the album “Sono solo canzonette” to it.

6 Thanks to the Magic of the tale and to Bennato's greatness, out came several beautiful songs about freedom that made the history of Italian music.

7 Star Trek too, the only true magical epic about the history of knowledge, pays homage to the tale of Peter Pan.

8 Star Trek tells of the human journey of knowledge, shown through its three components: logic (rational analysis) embodied by Spock, emotions (the “human” approach) represented by McCoy, both mediated by Kirk's impulsive spiritual side.

9 In the last film in which the trio command a starship, they are ordered back to base for a “change of crew”; Spock (rationality) says “If I were human, I believe my response would be: go to hell”, and Kirk sets the course: “Second star to the right, and straight on till morning”.

10 The ship's last course is a magical-anarchist blend: to keep pursuing the quest for knowledge, the Enterprise “crew” has to tell “command” to fuck off and embrace the Magic (“Neverland”).

11 Neverland was also paid homage in the Italian comic Martin Mystère, which gave it a place on the map.

12 Neverland is a fairy tale built in the magical-libertarian dimension, telling of someone who runs away so as not to be forced to sign up to the “social-scientific-statist” dimension, imposed by the various powers, which demands that you “grow up” by turning nasty and falling into line.

13 To keep up his search for knowledge (the Magic), without signing up to rules and bans, Peter Pan chooses to remain a “child”.

14 He chooses to go on living in a magical world, hard but free, forever fighting the system, represented by the pirates, who cannot stand “children”, especially the ones who “fly”.

15 If you choose to keep an open mind you are an enemy, and Captain Hook has to fight you.

16 Listen to Bennato's beautiful song “Capitan Uncino” (“Captain Hook”) (remember that the pirates are the “established power” in Neverland).

17 Coming to Captain Hook's rescue is glossy-magazine psychopathology, with “Peter Pan syndrome”:

18 “Peter Pan syndrome is a behaviour reflecting someone's unwillingness or inability to accept the responsibilities of adulthood”.

19 Translation: if you won't conform to the system's bans and obligations, you are “irresponsible”, and then people are surprised when someone starts worshipping the Dog God.

20 Glossy-magazine psychopathology says that if you have Peter Pan syndrome you are:

• “dependent on others”. Peter Pan, dependent on whom? As far as I could tell he was minding his own fucking business on the island just fine; the only problem was the people who hated him for it.
• “incapable of long-term relationships”. So you are obliged to have long-term relationships, and if you would rather “Anubistically mind your own fucking business” because you don't need anyone, though you may enjoy spending time with other people, you are a “syndromatic”.
• “not interested in self-improvement”. Improvement? Peter Pan flies! You lot who have “improved”, do you fly? Maybe improving yourself means doing what somebody else tells you? Who decides what improvement is? The guy who invented the syndrome? For the love of Anubis!
• “incapable of making decisions”. Twice Peter made the hardest decision a human can make, namely breaking free of impositions at the cost of “becoming a hermit”. He looks like anything but incapable.
• “You have a difficult relationship with money”. Meaning what? You don't screw over the first person who comes along to get rich?
• “They avoid conflict and confrontation”. Hail Anubis! So you are a wise person who respects the second precept, which is “don't bust anyone's balls”.

21 The Prophet would rather not bust your divine spheres, so he will skip commenting on the live-action version, where the story was twisted a bit too far.

22 Going in search of freedom with rationality alone won't get you far: “Only those who dream can fly!” (to quote Peter Pan).

23 Can't fly? “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” (to quote Peter Pan).

24 No doubt about it, but what do you have to do? “You just think lovely wonderful thoughts,

25 and they lift you up in the air.” (to quote Peter Pan).

26 Meaning, how do I do it? “All it takes is faith and trust, and a little bit of pixie dust” (to quote Peter Pan).

27 “Second star to the right — this is the way — and then straight on till morning — you can't go wrong, because — that's the island that isn't there.

28 And they make fun of you — if you keep on looking for it — but don't give up, because — whoever has already given up — and laughs behind your back — may be even crazier than you.” (Bennato)

29 “Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true.

30 This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence.

31 When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way,

32 implicitly and unquestionably.” (Uncle Walt)

33 You may come up with the finest reasoning, but if you can't fly, Captain Hook will get you.

34 May Anubis be with you, along with a little faith, trust and pixie dust!