The Power of Stories

Written by Ozge Gurbuz, a content strategist, from Istanbul, Turkey. Please read the article and leave your thoughts and comments below.

Stories, the very reflections of our dreams and our fears, have always been around us since the beginning of our history. Being older than mankind, the power of stories lies in neither how old their origins date back nor where they come from. Rather, the power of stories is their similar nature to what we call ‘’reality’’, “life”. Whether in reality or in the pages of a good book, we witness this resemblance countless times sailing through the ocean of endless possibilities where there is a struggle, where there are tears and joy and touches of laughter. As a holistic combination of the opposites, life, just like stories, has its unique ways to teach us why and how some moments will remain attached to the soul and will become more meaningful than other moments.

Our kind is very simple yet can be very unpredictable at times. It is a scientific consensus that our tendency to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings stems from our irresistible need to belong. This need of ours tells us that we may look, talk or act differently. However, we are all connected by an invisible bond. By this bond we’re given a sense of belonging and eventually, we end up creating emotional connections to others because, only that way, do we feel good and accepted.  When it comes to stories it does not matter when or who because even though time and places are different, there is one particular detail that will never change. It is the content of our experiences. They never differ in light of the duality of life. When we look at myths, ancient tales and sagas that somehow have managed to survive until the present day, we can understand this so much better. The war between the good and the evil, the unbearable distance between lovers or the extraordinary adventures of a warrior etc. The essence of the stories experienced in different time periods is always the same. A series of challenges, unexpected defeats, an impossible love, an unfair victory achieved by a tyrant…  Some stories are true, some stories pull you in from the very beginning whereas some start boring but surprise you with a twisted ending and some are left untold never to be completed.

The epic of Gilgamesh, Ancient Greek myths, Noah’s Ark, The Lost City of Atlantis, Romeo and Juliet, The Divine Comedy, The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, The Hobbit etc; fact or fiction, depicting a variety of incidents, stories know no boundaries. One day, you can sail through rough seas and another day, you can fly high above golden cities. By day, you can live in the clouds and by night, you can be the protector of an underground world. Anywhere, anytime and anyhow, you can be this or that. Obviously, stories have made human life wealthier and happier. The success of all stories that welcome us to the land of unlimited opportunities is not only the magical moments they host but also the challenges, the conversations and the characters they portray. By empathizing through these three c’s (challenges, conversations, and characters), we wish to find a piece from us. This recognizable pattern can be tracked in books, poetry, and our daily life activities. This pattern is all about effort. The effort is one of the rare words that can summarize the whole case. Effort, when we think of it, is the definition of how the universe itself is built on a chain of contradictions. Effort is how we human beings cover only one ring of that chain. Effort is what determines the attractiveness of stories as well. What’s there to be found by us? Are there obstacles to overcome? Is it worth fighting? What awaits us in return for our sacrifices? Destruction or a reward? Effort is engaging, it makes you wonder and push your limits mentally and emotionally. Every story is as interesting as the effort made for the sake of it.

All in all, anything and everything that speaks to our hearts is qualified to be shared and thus become ageless. This is the formula of stories that are entitled to immortality.

41 comments on “The Power of Stories

  1. Gizem Gurbuz on

    Lovely! My favorite line would be ”By day, you can live in the clouds and by night, you can be the protector of an underground world. ”

    Reply
  2. DİKRİS TAŞKIRAN on

    Stories are inspiring in our lives and this writing is too. I like that you paying attention to the similar effect of old and new stories.

    Reply
  3. Abdulrahman Aba on

    Well, without the immortality of our stories we wouldn’t be existed.
    The part of living in the clouds and protecting the undergrounds is very touchy. Well said.

    Reply
  4. Yahya Zohby on

    Beautiful essay, also something funny crossed mind Your essay reminds me of
    “how i met your mother series ”
    Longest story in the history
    Took them 9 years to finish it
    Fun read thank u

    Reply
  5. Issac Demir on

    movies and series are stories
    now they are the biggest industry in the world ( HBO Disney Netflix)
    big companies are moving to film industry like (Apple and Amazon)
    and now we are witnessing the war of ( who had the best stories to tell)
    and this is you described as (The Power of Stories)
    thank you Ozge for this elegant essay .

    Reply

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