This was previously ran in the December 2025.
As I wait in gnawing anticipation for the next installment of one of my favorite TV shows, I can’t help but speculate whether my favorite characters are going to meet their demise or end up happily ever after. Will they escape their impending doom? Their fates consume my thoughts, and they aren’t even real.
The emotional rollercoaster this show is putting me through piques my interest. Why did I care so much about fictional characters?
Whether it’s a nostalgic movie, binge-worthy TV show, or an addicting book, as human beings, we crave stories. They make us feel, whether they are based on true love, daring adventure, or even a gripping revenge plot. We are captivated by narratives. They put things into perspective to show different ways of thinking and ideas. You not only see the world in a fixed way, but also see it as what life is like as a different person, in a different environment, with different influences.
These narratives hold the power to make us laugh or even shed a tear. This is because, whether you’re aware of it or not, you see part of yourself in these characters. When a character loses a loved one, you have empathy reflecting on what their pain must feel like, making you uncomfortable, sad, or even angry.
However, identifying with these characters is much deeper than this.We need to apply these feelings into our lives. In stories, there is commonly a main character, the protagonist. However, when looking at your own life, you see yourself as the protagonist. You are the hero of your own story.
Whenever you reflect on a story, your brain applies a character’s journey to your past experiences in life, whether it’s real or not. You aren’t just simply reading or watching, but living through these characters.
Stories teach personal growth. They display how characters struggle and develop. In reality, you may have looked at those moments in your life as failure, but when consuming a story, you see the bigger picture. In life, people have to struggle to succeed.
The most powerful narratives are the ones we tell ourselves. In moments of self reflection, we all may have used labels like “I’m the quiet one,”or “I’m the hard-working one” or even “I’m the one who always messes up.” These tales we tell ourselves shape who we become. When you believe something about yourself for long enough, it is inevitable to become a reality.
We write our own stories. No matter how out of control you feel, nothing displays how you are in control of your own story more than the tales we turn to. We are authors long before we reach for a pen.
The decision is yours: listen to the distracting stories, or change your narrative— write your own ending.
