It is only through the stories of others that we can make sense of our own

I am a big ‘Zakir Khan’ fan. Zakir Khan is an Indian stand up comedian. More than a comedian, he is a storyteller, he says the most obvious things that most of us have experienced at some point, in ways that leave us astounded and impressed.

One of the things that he said and that made so much sense to me was – “..when someone makes you feel bad about something, when you lose an argument or any fight, you play that scene in your head a hundred or a thousand of times, until you actually win it, until you start feeling better.” I watched this piece a long time ago, but it has stayed with me, which is a big thing given I don’t even remember my own blogs- I am that forgetful.

It stayed with me because that’s how I felt at times and I still do. It helps to know that someone else shares the same sentiment, that people applauding and admiring him also relate to it. So, I am not alone!

I read ‘Becoming’ by ‘Michelle Obama’, the former first lady of the United States. Then I saw her documentary on Netflix. I saw how she inspires and is still inspiring so many young people through her stories; how she connects so naturally to all the people she meets.

Why is it easy to connect with and relate to a person like her, even when you are miles away from her, sitting in your drawing room in your home in India (the country I belong to)?

It’s because she is so respectful to her story and to others’. Because she shares the stories of her struggles, her wins, her losses, her everyday fights with all honesty. She accepts who she is, where she comes from, her insecurities and her accomplishments. She gives herself credit for where she is and who she is and what she has ‘become’ over all these years in her life.

When we share our stories and we listen to others’, we get to know that we are not alone in this, that what we are going through is not just us, and give us reasons to be inspired and be hopeful. Our stories may not necessarily match in the most absolute terms, but our emotions do.

The most honest stories help us ‘become’ the characters in the story and help us find a way out, a way to win, a way to live.

Good time or bad time, it will pass, but what we become along the way is all that matters. Real stories help us retain and sometimes revive our conscious. They help us make sense of our stories.

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