Narrative Driven

I love narrative.  I make a story out of everything.  I look at the big picture – the whole story – the beginning, the middle, the circumstances, experiences, actions, the where we are now, what works, what informs, the where is this going and what might come next.  And I do it with everything—politics, events, people, news, television shows, movies, books, my life, and the lives of everyone I know. 

It is actually how I see the world.  For so long I felt like there was something wrong with me because I appeared to have a more detached attitude than others because I don't dwell on the details of a situation.  I have trouble staying with the details of and the feelings of the moment without straying to the big picture and the rise and fall of a whole life.  It sometimes comes across as a lack of compassion. 

I realize now that I don't lack compassion, I just see more there than the pain or challenge of the moment.  Life is long and each and every day is filled with thousands of choices than can have long-term effects.  And each can change the direction of a life or meld into the fabric of the whole. 

While I do keep the whole picture in mind, I also pay attention to the incremental steps along the way.  I see all the little changes, the minor advances, and turning points.    I notice what was traumatic, painful, and joy-filled.  And I don't just do this with others – I do it in my life.  It helps me keep things in perspective, but I just do it because it is how I see everything.  I look at my growth, lessons learned, adjustments and compromises, and principles.  What informs my life and where have I changed my beliefs or stuck to them.  I can constantly evaluate my progress and write the prelude to the next phase. 

My method for making sense of the world is to frame everything in a narrative.  I want a beginning, a middle, a where are we now, and a what might come next.   The thing is – that is how I see the world.  It just is.  I see things in scope and epically-simultaneously.  I synopsize.