I never saw myself as a storyteller, so I never bothered to tell stories. But this piece will explain what has made me question that notion.`
Stories are evidence of our existence here on earth.
I was having a conversation with my cousin the other day. It suffered greatly from having any direction, but it was one that caused us to lay our world views on the table and dissect several topics with an open mind. Neither of us was trying to convince the other; rather, we were offloading thoughts that had been trapped and unheard for what seemed like an eternity. In the heat of our conversations, we began to talk about people. People who have roamed this earth, and people who are to come, where he took a standpoint and conviction that there was nothing special about anyone, more importantly, that everyone was not unique.
Now how did we get here? Well, it started with me stating how every person was unique. By definition; “existing as the only one”, and by the understanding of how consciousness works; we know that no one can have the same consciousness as another person - not even in the case of identical or conjoined twins.
While we talked, I stated that every person is a unique expression of the source of life from which we spring forth. I might have argued with an example of imagining that everyone in the world and everyone who ever lived was tasked with drawing a horse.
I asked what the chances of any two people sketching up the same thing were, but he laughed and exclaimed “I‘m failing that test because of my poor drawing skills“. But I reassured him that while he would definitely concoct an eyesore of a horse sketch, however, this wasn’t a test of skill; rather, simply an expressive medium.
I also remember the thoughts going through my head about what really sums up that uniqueness that I have advocated for. And a few things stood up in my mind, such as;
- Personality (Nature, Interests & Passion),
- Experiences, (Nurture, Friendships, Memories & Encounters with others and their influence)
- Character, (Discipline, Ethics, Beliefs & Worldview),
- Accumulation of knowledge (Education & Skills)
- Geography (Where you are born, Where you’ve been & and where you choose to settle)
- Purpose and Achievements (Recognition by society)
With all of this listed out, I was sure I had figured out how when summed up, our sketches of a horse could uniquely vary from person to person. But, then came the question; “when exactly does our uniqueness start?“. For such a question, the scripture in Jeremiah 1:5 comes to mind at the point of writing this piece.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you...”
I do not have the answer to that question yet, but God created you to be much more than just a statistical count or another grain of corn on the cob. You have a story that is unique to yourself. You see life through a different set of lenses from every single person on earth. Your thoughts are yours and you're alone. And if you close your eyes for a few moments, pull back, and reach into the corners of your mind, you will see that it‘s just you in there. No one else can come in there unless you let them in by utterances or performed actions. You are unique because of your story. It doesn't have to be anything special, but the fact that you have one is enough. Our stories are indeed evidence of our existence here on earth.
What story are you telling today?
Let those words which have gone unsaid find their way out of your mind to the hearts of those that need to hear what part they have played or are actively playing in your life. I pray we do not remain lazy by continuing to generalize people. I pray I do not succumb to the convenience of labeling, and I pray that you receive the grace to pay attention to the stories of those around you.