Storytelling: Our Universal Language

There are many things that I love very deeply. 

The company of some people. Natural beauty in its many shapes and forms. Music festivals, combat sports, a good day's work, and a well-made product of human ingenuity, like guns or pizza. 

Yet nothing comes close to art because of the role it has played for me. I spend a lot of time engaged with storytelling. It is a cherished art form near to my heart. I've never been particularly smart or studious. Yet I've always had an insatiable curiosity towards everything. Dealing with both has turned out to be a most fruitful experience.

It seems odd that people shy away from defining what exactly constitutes art. This turns people away by making art seem more ethereal and unapproachable than it really is. Defining something is a crucial step in forming a relationship with that thing. Without a relationship, there can be no connection and no exchange of value.

What can be considered art?

Art is a selective recreation of reality that carries a transporting power. It can carry people away to a certain sense of life or places within the endless universe of their minds. It is created with a particular intent, displayed in a platform appropriate to that intent, and open to the reception of its audience. 

What's the big deal?

Our reality is an infinitely complex system full of countless moving parts. Parts that are distinct yet related. They collide with and influence each other in ways that are beyond computation. Shrouded in uncertainty, it is difficult for anyone to make the best choices possible.

We cannot thrive without knowing right from wrong and acting accordingly. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This is where storytelling has always been our saving grace.

Why I write.

Stories come naturally to any human being. Our brains understand and make sense of the world through them. They take aspects of real life and simplify them. They offer us a unique and lucid understanding of these aspects through this simplification. They can elicit empathy like nothing else and show us how another person might view the world. This allows us to make actionable conclusions that would be otherwise out of reach. 

By showing what an idea would look like in real life and the implications of adopting it in some form we can watch it play out in action. For example, a story of a paranoid con artist who's always looking over their shoulder is far more effective than simply saying, "do no evil". 

As such good stories are thought experiments that provide powerful wisdom in interesting and engaging ways. They can provide clarity, perspective, spiritual experiences, and a sense of connection, of personal and collective meaning which is so fundamental to any fulfilling human experience. 

I'm learning this craft to one day create something valuable that others find worth experiencing. Until then, I wish to share and appreciate my favorite things here. Hopefully, this will give them the attention that they deserve.

Medicine, law, business, and engineering are noble pursuits worthy of admiration. Without them, we could never sustain our lives. Yet art, beauty, romance, and meaning are what make our lives worth living in the first place.

I am eternally grateful to those who came before me and ensured my survival. With this blessing, I and many others can focus on the deliverance of our souls.

"Je porterai le flambeau et le transmettrai à l'avenir."