Dare To Know
Begin.
Someone once told me that the shortest distance between two people is a story.
The writer in me really, really liked that and it’s something that I often remind myself of.
William Cho recently launched a new publication here on Medium: Sapere Aude Incipe. For those like me who are a bit rusty on their Latin, I’m told it translates to: Dare to know, begin!
“Daring to know”… that’s actually a pretty badass concept. We don’t usually consider “knowledge” as something daring but it certainly is.
“Daring” means to have courage and it does take courage to learn. Learning requires you to admit that there’s something you don’t know — an action that places you in a position of instant vulnerability.
And besides, once you know, you can’t “un-know”, you know?
Learning something means experiencing the possibility that your entire philosophy will be challenged. Your entire world view can be shifted at any given moment.
We root ourselves in what we think is accurate or assume is valid. If repeated enough times, lies can become our truth. We’re architects of our own realities.
But what happens when a force demands that we question what we think we know?
That’s what stories are: forces of nature.
They’re the lens through which we view our experiences. They’re the funnel through which change happens. We manifest progress by thinking and questioning and admitting that we live in a fluid world.
We allow each other the opportunity to explore and learn by sharing our own knowledge and experiences. Stories are all about conflict and it’s through conflict that we grow as individuals and as a society.
That’s scary and it takes courage.
Share your story. Listen to others’.
Be bold — and dare to know.
Howdy, fellow literary adventurer! Thanks for taking the time to read this post. There’s only so much time in a day and I appreciate you spending some of it with me.
Who are some of your favorite storytellers here on Medium? Show them some love in the comments section!
Until next time, write on! 🍍
P.S — If you’re interested in becoming a contributor for Sapere Aude Incipe, you can find more information on how to apply on William Cho’s profile here on Medium.
