War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.

This was the name of a book I read in high school, in an elective class senior year created in the wake of the 9-11 and the wars that followed. 

We read selections on non-violence, The Things They Carried, and of course, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. 

Catchy title. Terrifying concept.

Especially since it’s not true—it only sounds like it could be, because so many people live convinced of the same lie. 

Creativity is the force where we weave meaning—as Dr. Brené Brown has discussed, our brains are hard-wired to find a story. We are born to be meaning makers. The meaning making is always happening, whether the story is actually true or something our mind made up to give us something certain to hold on to.

Creativity—like many other forces—is neutral. 

What we humans make with it is not.

Humans have been growing very creative and very skilled at killing each other for millennia. Even storytelling has had a role in that. Think of the plot of Homer’s epics—Beowulf too, and many more. 

These are ancient tales of war, illustrating the idea: “if you live and fight and die for something, you matter—don’t you?”

Pay attention to the stories you hear, no matter how beautifully it’s written. Look for the lens the storyteller speaks from, and ask yourself if you agree with how they view the world. 

If you don’t learn to create your own meaning inside your culture, your culture will provide that meaning for you. 

When you create your own meaning, and your friend does, and your sister, and her friend too, culture shifts in your collective wake. 

We all inherit the world, sweet ones. What matters is what we make with that inheritance.