A movie. A book. A simple narration from the lips of someone known or unknown. If the subject intrigues us we become preoccupied with the development of the story. And this is not accidental. It is the result of man’s need for imagination and inspiration.
Imagination, which peaks during childhood, isn’t solely to do with dragons and magical lands as we think it is when we’re adults. It’s to do with storytelling, when all you have is yourself and something that piqued your interest. From a young age we imagine being a part of the fairy tales that we are told. We embark on exciting adventures, in which we are the protagonists. We pretend to take part in epic battles and fights in which we always come out winners, in events where we’re the centre of interest… In a life far from reality. In a life that fills us with joy and excitement and disperses the dark clouds that represent reality.
As we grow up, it’s a fact that our imagination runs out. The reality that we decide to wear on our backs as adults leaves no room for children’s fantasies. Thus, we abandon the games that we methodically collected and ignore the “children’s showtime” (6am to 1pm every Saturday and Sunday on Star) that we were dedicated to on television. Even so, once in a while, we look forward to reliving this carefree life. And what a pity that when the little cousin we are babysitting wants to see the new Disney movie… not that we needed an excuse.
We can’t, however, go through life with children’s fairy tales. At some point they lose their beauty because they are simplified, for the ears and eyes of those who are much younger than us. Even then, the need to get lost in their excitement remains. And that’s where the stories come from.
In order to create a story (or even to learn a new one), it needs to be something exciting and different. I emphasise these two adjectives because I don’t want to be confused with the fact that a story has to present something better. This isn’t the case. Certainly, we prefer stories with a happy ending, but a story without hardship would not be a story. It is the collection of the central character’s experiences that make us want to experience their life, even momentarily, through their eyes. Something so different from our everyday life that it makes us forget our frustration with it. For a few minutes we get to be in the shoes of the protagonist and our mind is occupied exclusively with the question: “What would life be like?”. We are thirsty for this feeling and this thirst seems to be unquenchable.
I mentioned two reasons why people turn to stories. Yes, people look for the imagination that adulthood drained from their lives, but they also look for inspiration. A reason to continue. They look forward to hearing about a life they would like to have, in order to make adaptations in order to pursue a similar one. To hear about someone who overcame the obstacles they found on their way and by doing so, get the courage to do the same. Because “if he did then why can’t I?”.
Life isn’t always beautiful or magical. It often gets boring and ordinary, and everyone needs a break from it. Our own hardships often drag us into a dark well, and the heroes we are told about, real or not, light the way back to the surface with hope.
Without stories, our hearts would have broken into pieces from the harsh reality of the world.
