Photo by Brett Patzke on Unsplash
In the last post, I wrote about how I work with writers who want to tell stories that matter and that these are stories engaged in wisdom transmission. That sounds good, but how do we gain and transmit wisdom?
I wouldn’t claim to be wise—I took that lesson from Kansas a long time ago—but I aspire to it because trying to do and be better makes sense to me. It seems odd to to suggest there is only one way to become wise because we don’t know enough about all there is to know to make that call.
But here’s my current working hypothesis based on my experience: We pursue wisdom by metabolizing the events of our lives to gain greater perspective so we can tell a coherent and meaningful story.
And this dovetails with what I wrote yesterday. When we all share those coherent stories, we gain greater perspective on what ails us, how to understand it, and how to make things a little better. We also come to see one another more clearly, which helps us to be in relationship.
This is the project I’m engaged in, what I’m doing and pursuing, but why is this relevant to you? Even if my point of view doesn’t resonate with you, I hope this will get you thinking about what matters most to you and why you write. To write a story readers love, we must choose a perspective to explore—either implicitly or explicitly. This is just common sense. If we’re taking a journey, it helps to know where we’re going and why.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will typically be longer than 400 words.