[KC]: We ALL have a story to tell.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of storytelling. Perhaps it's because of the fact that we're reading Julius Caesar in class and William Shakespeare was indeed a storyteller, or perhaps it's because I have a few friends in my life right now who are in the most difficult fights of their stories. Regardless of the reason, I've come to the conclusion (one I think I've already known and believed in for some time now) that we all have a story to tell. Our lives are our story, and what we do with them matters. 

One of my favorite YouTube channels is called Shots of Awe. Its link has been on the right side of our blog since the beginning. But recently, the speaker (Jason Silva) did a two-minute video on the idea of storytelling, discussing why it's an essential part of the human existence. Take a look at it below:

I think one of the reasons that I love this idea so much is that it emphasizes the idea of growth. Just as all stories have an arc, all of our lives have curves to them. We have peaks; we have pits. Some highs are higher than others and some lows are lower than we'd like them to be. But regardless of what we are experiencing at the moment, we can trust that we are growing as humans, that we are changing, being molded, being shaped, being bettered. We do not live linear lives. We twist, we turn, we take steps back, and we leap ahead blindly trusting that it will all work out. As humans, we are expected to experience things so that we can use those experiences to impact others. 

When Shakespeare wrote the story of Julius Caesar, he knew that he was a vehicle to share a person's experiences. In fact, he considered this a lot while writing. This is why we get lines like Cassius saying: 

    "How many ages hence
     Shall this our lofty scene be acted over
     In states unborn and accents yet unknown!" (Act 3, Scene 1)

Shakespeare was hyper aware of the fact that, as humans, our experiences have the ability to be shared experiences. This means that we can connect with other people, empathize with them based on similar things that we've gone through. However, while this ability is there, it takes us being willing to share our story. It takes us being willing to make a connection with someone, with several people, maybe even with the whole world. Inevitably, when we make these connections, we are picking our storytellers. So, I ask you guys to consider your story. Firstly, remember that despite what you may have been told or what you may think, it is special because it is unique to you. And secondly, think about who you want to tell your story and how you want your story to impact other people. Essentially, the most powerful bits of our story will live on for "ages hence" through other people "in states unborn and accents yet unknown." So, how will you choose to pass along these powerful bits? Think about it.