Why Should We Care About Stories?
Storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest art forms. Stories connect us, teach us, and help us make sense of our experiences. We all have an epic story inside of us, just waiting for someone to listen.
What Makes a Great Story?
Through this project, we learned that many great stories follow a similar pattern, called the Hero’s Journey, by Mythologist Joseph Campbell. In the hero’s journey, an ordinary person is called on an adventure, has to leave their known world, faces trials and temptations, fights their greatest fears in the abyss, is transformed, rejoins their community, and shares their new knowledge.
This pattern resonates with us because it mirrors our own experiences, of coming of age, facing adversity, and overcoming challenges. It appears again and again, in everything from pop culture to classic literature, from Star Wars to The Alchemist, to Siddhartha.