The Intangible

by C.J. Washington

“I believe that one true objective reality exists. A full understanding of that reality is beyond our reach, however, so we construct narratives, approximations of reality. We collect rules, like ‘Good guys always win,’ and they become the framework for our narratives.

And small shifts in rules can lead to large differences in narratives.”

There are things I believed ten years ago that seem crazy to me now. But my change in perspective can be explained by small shifts in the rules I accept.”

When I said that people can get creative in the face of the inexplicable, I meant that we’re skilled at adopting new rules to expand our narrative structure.

She felt nothing, and yet, beneath the numbness was so much that she didn’t know how to put it into words.

“The only way to live meaningfully is to forge new connections.

New connections don’t erase the past. They allow us to appreciate it. I finally understand that.

Growing older is a process of accumulating the good and the bad.