One Thousand and One Nights

One Thousand and One Nights - Henri Matisse

If I was Shehzade, I would be able to tell stories for one thousand and one nights...Stories that takes you from the north to the south pole of emotions, and stories that spans from the east to the west of your senses.

No, the stories aren't about me, but the people I have met, and continue to meet. Just yesterday, I met a man of such charisma, such beautiful voice and manners of speech, and a million dollar smile. Glad to say that this man will be a colleague. I wonder what his story is.

We are each of us part of a story, our own, or someone else's. Sometimes we are the protaganists, good or evil. Sometimes we are the villain, plain evil. Sometimes we just play a minor part in someone else's story. What do our stories say about us? How will people judge us when they hear our stories? How much does it matter?

There are two sides to a coin, but between black and white, there are so many shades of grey. The storyteller must refrain from letting her judgement influence the listener's conclusions, but how many humans can remain detached and without judgement...how many can speak without their own morality, self-righteouness, and bias creeping up upon their voices? The same story brings different messages to different people.

We interpret and accept bits and pieces of a story which relate to us most, disregarding the rest as mere annoying details. These details may be someone else's important points, and so it goes on. Some among us, blessed with empathy, are able to relate to all, understand all, and suffer the impatience and contempt of their counterparts.

If I was Shehzade, I would still tell my stories, knowing that human nature is the biggest story of all. Our own mysteries, will we ever solve them?