Stories That Never Happen
No one tells stories of what happens to them on their screens
As I was scrolling through social media just the other day, I encountered the most incredible sight. It was an image of a Carpathian forest blanketed by thick snow; the kind of forest that epitomises the childhood refrain “the deep dark woods”, where creatures friendly and fearsome dwell in seclusion, and where no one is going to come to your rescue if the wolf decides you are on the menu for dinner. As I sat there staring at my screen, wave upon wave of awe overcame me. I just knew I was not going to forget this amazing experience for the rest of my life.
You can imagine my utter delight moments later when the next image that I scrolled to on my screen was of a brown bear on the edge of the forest with her three cubs in tow! It was breathtaking. People spend years on social media without ever experiencing this perfect juxtaposition of images. “What a privilege to have this wonderful image of the bears completing the scene of the forest wonderland”, I thought to myself. “I can’t wait to tell everyone how lucky I have been to glimpse such a special and memorable sighting.”
Of course, this empty and worthless episode — devoid of even the faintest resemblance of significance — never happened. And even if it did, it would be vulgar and vain of me to think that it was worth sharing with you. If I did, I would merely be displaying that my life had sunk to the utter depths of triviality. Sadly, I have never stood in a Carpathian forest in the silence that only thick snow can bring, staring down at a bear’s footprint and wondering where it currently is in the deep dark woods. And the longer I waste my time on social media, the less likely it is that I will experience such a moment or, for that matter, any other story-worthy encounter out in the wilds; the very place where stories and memories that are worth sharing are made.
You will have guessed by now what I am trying to remind us all of: what happens to us on our screens is ultimately vanity of vanities. Thus, it is for good reason that we never share or tell anyone stories of things that happen to us on social media — apart from, perhaps, that time we interacted with someone famous or went viral. Even then, these “stories” are not really stories but boasts. Few ears are patient enough to really listen to our boasts and surely, we can see how vain and insufferable it would be to tell the story of the time our cat video went viral round the campfire to our grandchildren.
May we all remember this general and irrevocable Law: the more time we spend scrolling on our screens, or watching other people’s stories on television, the less likely it is that we will have our own stories to tell. Instead, the biography of our lives will be hollow and empty — and we will find ourselves suddenly short of words when sitting round the fireside. There can be few more tragic sights than that of a grandparent sitting with their grandchildren on their lap who can only answer their excited pleas for a story with a stuttering, embarrassed silence because their life has been so empty. May we strive to never suffer from such a tragedy as this.
So, if we are apt to complain that we live in a world saturated with triviality and deficient in stories, we ought to take a long and hard look at our own lives first. If we find that our waking moments are full of things that profit not — which are devoid of meaning and significance and instead full to the brim with triviality and AI-produced slop — then we only have ourselves to blame. No one strikes gold digging in the sand on the pleasure beach; likewise, no one will gather precious memories whilst scrolling on their phones. If we wish for our memory banks to be full of stories worthy of being told, then we ought to be frequent visitors of those very places where good stories are found. That is what the wise old man or woman — full themselves with good stories — would tell us to do.
For most of us, this will mean going out and enjoying the wonders of the creation — which happens to be where most of my most cherished memories were made — far more often than we currently do. Creation is full of beautiful creatures, breathtaking vistas, and dramas of life and death, that are the subjects of the best stories and sagas. But sadly, in our modern world, most of these stories pass by unobserved and never to be told. So, make it your aim to go out and enjoy creation, gathering up the stories it offers you there, and telling them to those you love. And when the inevitable happens: we get terribly lost in the wilderness, encounter a fearsome beast, get drenched by a sudden storm, or get stung by an army of wasps, we ought to remember that these trials and tribulations, though uncomfortable in the moment, are the raw materials of a good story — one which we will later recount with relish and with a smile.
And now, as I finish writing this piece — which I am preaching as much to myself as I am to those of you who have taken the time to read — the words my good wife said to me only this morning, are ringing in my ears. “You really should go and climb that mountain you said you would climb.” So that is what I will do. And maybe, just maybe, I will be telling the story of what happened to me on this climb until my days on this earth are done.
I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!
A reminder that this Thursday at 8:30 PM UK Time, I will be hosting a reading group on Zoom looking at chapter three of Paul Kingsnorth’s latest book Against the Machine. New participants are more than welcome to join us. The Zoom link and more information can be found here:
Great idea here, Hadden. My husband and our oldest children attempted to hike a 14,000-ft mountain in Colorado a couple summers ago and actually *got lost* (despite being above the tree line) and had a very difficult descent. It is one of our favorite tales in our family lore and of course is also one of the most dangerous things any of us have ever experienced. The more risky it is, the better the story, right?!
This is a welcome reminder to get off my phone and have more adventures. Thank you! One of the greatest summers of my life was spent in the Colorado Rockies going on hikes and having little access to cell service. So many fun hikes and experiences!
One experience that stands out: I had hiked into the woods to find a spot to journal and do some spiritual reflection. I found a boulder that I could climb and sat on top of it, beginning to journal and think. I honestly can't remember how long I was on that boulder, but after some time had passed, an elk walked within 10 yards of me. It was AMAZING. Something I will never forget!