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StumbleUpon I love a good story. Doesn’t everyone? Some of the first storytellers sat around campfires and conveyed their views of the world and life by telling each other yarns around crackling flames. Generations of human beings followed suit, replacing the fire with dinner tables, coffee shops, church pews and water coolers. Gradually and without warning, microchips and the infinite universe of the Internet took over—and blogs, Facebook, and MySpace pages and became a gathering point.
The need for connection endures. From the very best conversation, we gain insights into how we should live. Yet with all the available information out there, I have no idea what “to Google” to find help in solving family conflicts, job quandaries, major and, often, minor life decisions.
I know I’m not alone. As I run through a mental photo album of my contemporaries here in the Washington, D.C. metro area, I see a pattern. Many of us are on similar quests in search of vocations, relationships, or experiences that will give our lives meaning. It’s tough these days: We’re scattered for the most part. We live miles from our parents, our childhood communities, our geographic cultures. We can log on to the web and do our jobs, see a movie, order dinner, even make new friends without ever leaving our four walls. We struggle to stay connected to something larger than ourselves and frequently think we’re missing out on something, but don’t know what. We try to live life well, but are constantly puzzled by the huge “How?”
I don’t pretend to have the answers myself. But I’d like to think that three years of motherhood, six years of marriage, seventeen years as a journalist, decades of friendships, and 30…er…something years as a sister and daughter have given me some ideas. I do know how to find a good story. In my daily reporting job for Reader’s Digest, I’m constantly amazed by the people I interview—their ingenuity, their creativity, and basic goodness— especially when pushed. Even the government. Yes, that institution we all love to bash, does come through with some winning solutions.
How have others figured out the “How?” Many of us, self included, believe this starts with tending to the closest relationships, but meaning comes on the macro level, too, whether it’s involvement with community, creating a better professional life—and for the truly brave among us—tackling issues of global importance. So I’m going hunting to find people who’ve seemed to hit upon prized pathways. I’ll share with you what I find with the hope that someone’s inspiration could be someone else’s solution. I’d love to hear your ideas, too. After all, we all share the same space.
NEXT POST: The Care and Feeding of Good Ideas
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