Facts Suck. So Hide them in Stories.

The world is telling us something right now.

It’s an ugly, terrifying truth that has become prevalent faster than, I think, we have come to realize it as a society. Oh, we’ve had harbingers of this truth before, but just like Cassandra of Troy, their cries of danger fell on decidedly deaf ears.

Facts. Don’t. Matter.

Why? Because facts don’t give a damn about you. They don’t care if you like them, love them, or put them in your MySpace Top 6 (that’s still a thing, right?). Facts are the sum of actions and decisions, and whether they are good or bad, they exist.

But here’s the good news. Here’s what people love: a good story. Whether it’s a hero’s journey or a clown’s misadventures, we revel in living outside of ourselves in the world of characters that inspire, or validate the absurdity of life we see everyday.

People need facts. People need stories. So that makes the role of the storyteller important.

And dangerous.

Originally published at https://shutupasecond.com.