Humans have connected with one another since the beginning of time. One big way we connect with each other is through stories.
From Harry Potter to myths of undead vampires, humans have craved stories. One of those stories is the legend of immortality. Immortality is a legend to where someone lives on past their lifetime. Stories and connections to cultures give us the opportunity to be immortal, or exist beyond our time.
People all have stories in common throughout the ages and are passed down from generation to generation. Stories are timeless and help us leave our imprint on the world. Even in dreams, our brains are occupied with storytelling, according to Medium.
What humans have in common is shared experiences that are then reflected in stories. Stories are techniques to make people feel a certain way, according to Big Think. Those fostered feelings can increase security and safety in one’s perspective.
Stories are shared among people. Kids and people of all ages learn from stories in small teachable moments. One of the biggest impacts a parent can have on a child is reading with them every day.
Parent and child solidify their bond through experiencing the same story. Reading out loud with your even your partner can help foster a sense of intimacy and community with that other person. These connections can provide safety and security.
Belonging is a core human need. Our social groups help us thrive emotionally and physically. Just being in the presence of another can help strengthen bonds and give the human body the feel-good hormones it needs to keep going, according to PsychCentral.
Stories do not exist outside of communities. The very making of a community that shares a space, a language, an occupation, or any other binding feature helps make sub-groups which then make cultures. Embracing belonging to a group helps people embrace their collective identity.
Culture is how a shared sense of identity influences how a group of people reacts, responds and grows, according to Love to Know. We also see this with a shared language that makes up the ins and outs of stories.
People live and die by the stories we tell and the people we connect with. Obituaries are snapshots of someone’s life, but it does not give the complete picture of how a person impacts a community, culture or the stories they tell.
Stories and community have gone hand in hand for as long as humans have bonded together. Humans may not live past their time here on Earth, but the stories they create and tell will live on through their communities and the people they have impacted.