Plot Armor
A New Year's Folly
I just heard Dave Chappelle telling a tale that made the difference between dreamer and dream
Perfectly clear, for he invited his listeners to recognize that, simultaneously, each of us is the author, narrator and protagonist of one story
And a trivial, or even entirely unwelcome, character in everyone else’s
There are billions of people who could not imagine me being so much as an AI generated extra
In the story of their lives, and of course that goes for billions of people I would never cast myself
Not because there is something wrong with any of us
Except insofar as many never think about who they are or what they think or do or say
With both of the aforementioned truths in mind
Some of us focus with shocking precision and intensity on the first-person perspective
Others are merely means to their ends, because that will make the story they tell to themselves about themselves beautiful. They really can’t imagine being a bit player in someone else’s story--which is a recipe for becoming such a character, ironically enough. They tell themselves this story about themselves, sometimes shifting from the first person to the third person during the narration—this was probably plagiarized from something they saw or pretended to read
You know, Phil generally narrates from the first person perspective: “I realized that the outcome of this hockey game meant more to me than my first marriage,” but shifts to the third person to writhe in ecstasy at how good it sounds as a mark of his “growth”: “Sure, Phil looked ordinary. But what the others present for this workshop would soon recognize, after one look at his spreadsheet, was someone extraordinary.”
Seldom, if ever, do they recognize that they might have a lilliputian role in every other story
What they want is fame, really
They think their story fit for universal consumption and acclamation
Their story is the world’s, or perhaps, the world is their story
But what they don’t see is that each of us is a Rosencrantz or a Guildenstern, not sure what we’re doing in Denmark
In some stories, even the kind of character each of us is has no part to play; in other stories
Too formulaic; two dimensional; an ambulatory cliché; those people are invisible to me; I can’t stand dentists, whatever
When you see, as Chappelle so clearly explained, that you are the author/narrator/protagonist of your story, and a mere ornament in some others, and a non-entity in most
You will shrink in trivial ways and expand in the only way that matters
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
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Comments (13)
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Congratulations on your top story! That was very thought-provoking and interesting.
Congratulations on your top story well done!!
Missed this one D.J. Very intriguing and well examined! Thanks and congrats!! 😁👍
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
That was thought provoking and really makes so much sense. Congrats on the TS.
Chappelle is a genius. And this makes us think Congratulations
Nice piece, Interesting thoughts. It's got me thinking. Also, in some ways, we underestimate the importance of the small parts we may play in other people's stories. Small parts are not always trivial. Our actions very well may influence someone else's plot. Both of these thought paths result in the very important realization that the world does not revolve around any one person.
Insightful!!!💕❤️❤️
Ooof, right in the thinkages! Well done 👏 I do like me a spot of Chapelle. A very intelligent and eloquent chap.
This piece got me questioning and reflecting deeply. Bravo for this thought-provoking story! 👏
I often wonder if I am a bit player in other people's stories - a facilitator rather than an orchestrator. This has got me thinking very deeply which I was not expecting at all.
Whoaaa, this blew my mind! It was so deep and thought provoking!