I know i am not alone in this. I would scroll through people's comments whenever i am done reading a story to see people's reaction. Mine is usually exhilaration, especially stories that directly resonate with me and i find that same exhilaration in other people's comments so why are these stories important to us?
What really draws people to the HONY page
is Brandon’s ability to capture a story. Most times, what seem insignificant
turns out to be truly significant once an image is placed behind it. It is one
thing to read a fictional story or watch a movie on an issue; it is another
thing to see a visual representation of someone whom has, in reality,
experienced that particular issue.
What makes HONY so important? The Human
Story. The power of the people. We may think people’s individual narratives are
not important but truly they are. All our stories matter. As a writer, I have
always struggled with finding a reason why people would read my work and it is
the same as that of HONY. The human story, the human narrative is important.
So many times I have cried through the HONY
page, it is not like there is anything I have not watched on TV before or heard
stories about, but the fact that this time around, there is an image behind
this story, a living breathing life…it changes everything. I scroll through
comments on the HONY page and I see people’s comments, amidst the bitterness of
this world, there is still a lot of compassion. People find themselves relating
to other people’s stories and there is a sense of “I am not alone in this” or
“Look, someone in the same situation as I made it, then so can i”, there is so
much hope and emotion intertwined in the human story.
So many times, we have seen how a single
image and a single narrative can turn one person’s life around, the power of
the people is truly magnificent in this sense. Through Brandon, people have
reached out and successfully helped other people. If this compassion exists
still, then there is still hope for humanity. Then we are not entirely lost. I
made a speech one time off the top of my head because I lost the sheet I wrote
my actual speech on at the last minute. Most of it is a blur to me right now
but I remember hearing myself saying, “There is a story inside each and
everyone of us, we are all living stories and sharing our stories sail us
through life.” I went home thinking about the words that came out of my mouth
without me planting them in my head and I realized that it came from my heart.
I truly believe in the power of one person’s story. I truly believe sharing our
stories changes our lives in one way or another. I understand why shrinks
always encourage people to share their stories.
HONY shows us the significance of a person.
We live our lives oblivious to the joys and sufferings of others and we are
supposed to be okay with that. To find fulfilment in life, we must allow
ourselves to feel. Some of us put up these walls for ourselves, maybe with
reason but there is no ordeal, big enough to steal away the compassion and love
from a person’s heart. We have to always be able to extend a curtain of love
like a Patronus (harry potter metaphor because...NERD) and cover the people we
meet along our paths.
I plan on buying Brandon’s book simply
because I want to read people’s lives and be filled with a feeling that I
cannot yet describe. It is warm and filled with love and other sweetness. You
must feel it to. If you have an open heart, you have to feel it too.
Sayonara
xoxo
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