Democracy is a symbol of freedom, human rights, and the empowerment of people, in stark contrast to the oppression, tyranny, and powerlessness of people living under authoritarian regimes.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where so-called democratic countries have undermined its values and retained little more than the label of democracy, while countries that are still democratic are denied that label by their own citizens. Today, there are people in democratic countries who argue that the political system they live in deprives them of their freedom and rights and makes them feel powerless. They feel that it is up to them to save democracy.

I recently came across an interview with a politician who addressed the issue of communicating with the public in the following way:

People want us to do a good job and they want to understand where we’re going as a government.

When asked why different parties in government say different things, the politician said:

We are all saying the right thing, just from a different angle.

What I understand are three things, none of which will increase my confidence:

Oppenheimer and Barbie are great examples of how (not) to tell a story. But what really intrigued me was how it parallels the world of scientific discourse. In my opinion, contrary to what I expected, Barbie makes for a better scientist.

I grew up around physicists and the story of Oppenheimer intrigued me. I didn’t expect anything special, just a good movie with a chance of being great. I was disappointed. The storytelling in Oppenheimer is so bad that it undermines the whole movie.

In the first part of this quest to define story, we’ve talked about actors, events, and plot. In the second part we looked at empathy and conflict, both of which in combination create suspense and carry the audience through the story. This creates an experience that makes the story feel personal and relevant to the audience and allows them to internalize what is happening.

Both empathy and conflict serve another purpose that we haven’t discussed yet: They help to convey a message.

We began this journey by taking a look at the story definitions provided by dictionaries. These definitions introduced us to actors who are defined by their ability to choose and perform an action, not by being a human character. We’ve talked about events, which are things that happen to these actors, or things that happen because of their actions. And we’ve talked about creating a plot by arranging these events in a logical order.

Think of a handful of stories.

Was that hard? Probably not. But have you ever thought about what a story actually is? It is not a book. A book can contain a story like a canvas holds a painting. Paint strokes can tell stories just as melodies and words do. But they are not stories. They only form them, when put in the right order. Woven like images created from colored threads.

When I was a child, I dreamed of having my own library. A place to retreat to and read a book in peace and quiet. One shelf filled with my own published novels…

Dreams change.

Now, I carry my books in my pocket wherever I go. I do not want or need a private room dedicated to books and reading.

Yet, as I begin this blog, I find myself thinking back to that image of a library. A place of knowledge and creativity. Art and science. Carefully wrapped in text to make the content accessible to as many people and generations as possible. To share, to learn, to enjoy. That is what this blog is about.