I want you to take a second and think about something with me. This is something that I just couldn’t understand for the longest time and for awhile chalked it up to randomness (a foolish mistake). When you look at society and people it isn’t hard to tell where some things come from. For example why are women attracted to strong, tough guys as opposed to weak sissies?
Well because evolutionary speaking the strong tough guys would ensure survival and the sissies would not. An oversimplification, in some ways and depending on your definitions of things yes. Yet something I think we can all understand to some degree. Same with other things. Look back at our ancient past and it’s no puzzle to figure out why hunters and warrior trait were valued in men and nurturing traits were (well and are for both) valued in women.
Because they help to ensure survival. But with all of this being said why did storytellers have such a prized place in ancient societies? One could easily live a life without ever hearing a story. It’s not like “Oh I’ve gone without a story for two weeks I need to get one soon or I’ll die.” from an outside perspective storytelling seems frivolous and almost foolish in a way. But that would be glancing at the surface and not understanding what is being seen.
The Importance Of Story
The more I’ve dived into fiction (not just reading fiction but understand the craft of story) the more I see connections with how life works and how man is inspired and grows. Stories reflect life in a way that is unique to stories alone. Sure you could look at it as stories fostered social relations and helped everyone to “get on the same page” as far as myths and religious beliefs go, and those things are absolutely true but I think that it goes even deeper than that.
Storytellers and the stories they tell (well the good ones at least) reflect something deeper, something deeper and more “primal” (maybe not the right word here) than even survival and reproduction itself. Yes stories absolutely share wisdom and served as connection with others, a common myth a people could believe to inspire them and bind them together. But I think it also connected people with something deeper and grander than themselves.
You can call it what you wish, God or if you’re lame “the universe” (always hated that term for some reason) but I think we all know the general idea of what I’m getting at here. That there is meaning to life. And no because we assign it meaning but because there is actual meaning to life beyond just what we think it is. It’s not like a psychologist or philosopher who says life has meaning because we give it meaning but because it has meaning beyond what our random whims are. But that’s a topic for another time.
Stories To Transform Yourself
I’ve spoken before about the power of fiction and how fiction has inspired and guided more people than non-fiction ever has or ever will. And as weird as it sounds a good part of this is because in a way fiction is “truer” than non-fiction. I’ve talked about how Alexander the Great would sleep with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow. Now regardless if that’s technically true or not it does speak on the strength, power, and importance of story.
If the story of heroes could inspire one man (or really boy when he started) to conquer the known world then what can you accomplish with the right stories? I don’t mean these as some cheesy YouTube motivation video way but rather as foundational change to the core of your being resulting in a life lived differently and transformed. If this sounds like a religious experience that’s because it is. But unlike the majority of “religious experiences” (heightened emotions essentially) this one is actually true and actually has an impact on your life.
Elsewhere I’ve given some good places to get started, just type fiction into the search bar. But you’ll have to find your own myths and mythos that inspires you and that is real to you, realer than the world around you is to you (which may be an illusion/simulation anyways, which is another topic of course). Consider the importance of story and the life changing implications the right one could have for you.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
