When I first started reading when I was a kid I fell in love with the fictional stories I saw myself in. I imagined myself as that wimpy kid starting out at school or a spy trying to save the world. I used to use my imagination to visualise these worlds and put myself right in the middle of them.
However, now that I’m older I’ve pivoted to reading mostly non fiction. I’ve unfortunately developed this mindset that fiction is a waste of time and that non fiction has more direct and actionable information and while this may be true to some extent. I’m beginning to realise the importance of narrative and storytelling in human life.
I could tell you 101 things we all could be doing to live more meaningful lives, but for most of the time this information is noted and then neglected.
It isn’t until we’ve gone through something ourselves or saw first hand someone else go through some form of hardship, that we begin to develop our own internal meaning and motivations towards achieving anything in life.
You could read all the self help books in the world and still feel lost. It’s isolating and you feel like you’re at this alone. However when you read or watch a great story you feel like you are seen and heard.
A great story captures the human spirit in all its forms. The struggles, the triumphs, the contradictions, the blessings, the curses, the list goes on.
Life is fucking confusing, it’s weird and it’ll lead you down a path just to take you right back to where you started. So when you hear the stories of someone else be put through the fire and still manage to make it alive.
It gives you courage to venture on, knowing that while it may be hard, it’s possible. Not only do great stories capture the monumental things we can achieve as mere mortals but they also provide comfort to those experiancing the devasting nature of reality.
You can have all the answers in the world yet still not know how to solve the problem. Story fixes this. It forces you think and to process what you’re reading or even seeing. It makes you come to your own conclusions. It doesn’t tell you what to think, it lets you form your own internal judgments.
If you can, try pick up a story or tell a story. Try to relate to someone else. Tell them about your life or ask them about theirs. Make up a story yourself. Dream about the world you want to see exist. Or paint a picture of the world you don’t want to live in. The options are endless, story is infinite and it’s the thread that ties us all together as human beings.
