When I first started this blog, I wrote a post about the connection fictional stories have with real life. “What Fictional Stories Teach us About Life” outlines my view on what fiction means to us. It is not a waste of time or a meaningless piece of writing without any impact on the reality we live in. Fiction is a reflection of life. Fiction is a way to see reality, a different lens through which to view it.
In this post I want to make another connection between what we find in fictional stories and reality: As a person with magic or a superhero in a story, we have our own powers within us to wield in reality.
Fiction…
Some of the most popular stories in our culture involve magic and superpowers. Each author has their own twist on how their powers work, keeping the interest high.
I love many of these stories. I mean moving objects with a glance, flying through the air, super strength, and casting spells is pretty awesome. We love it so much that there are costumes, quizzes, and countless other products available to us so we can pretend to be such a person.
But no matter how cool this stuff is, at the end of the day we know that magic and superpowers aren’t real, and we certainly don’t have them.
However, if fiction is drawn off of real life, what does that mean for us and the fictional powers we come across?
What We Hold…
Fictional stories are an accentuation of what we already know. In stories the powers seem so much cooler because they are big and foreign to our daily lives. We are so used to life that we don’t realize what we hold.
We have gifts and superpowers, they just aren’t the same as those in the stories.
We are all more powerful than we think. We have an arsenal of blessings and weapons at our disposal, but we don’t think of them in that way.
We are not superheroes or wizards, but we all have superpowers and magic within us to wield. We wield power with our words, actions, and even expressions. What we do for a living is itself a power.
I wield my pen (or keyboard) to create words on a page that make an impact on people’s lives. I can bring up controversy and peace with my pen, I can wield it with power for or against anything.
The gifts we have are a wand in our pocket, ready to pull out and do with what we wish. Our powers are always with us, and we can wield them with strength.
Light or Darkness…
Just as with stories, there is a good and bad side, and we make the choice with what we use our powers for. We either use them for the light or for the darkness in this world.
We do not control the fate of the world, but our choices make an impact on the world. We have the power to save a life, or take one. We can listen to someone in need or walk away. We can be kind or bitter.
We make a difference in this world, but what the difference is is up to us. What we do with our life and our gifts is important.
Power…
We hold our superpowers and magic within us, ready to use at a moment’s notice. But don’t forget that there is an even greater power around us. There are incredible feats in this world that we have forgotten and do not see. What we can imagine cannot outdo reality.
Look out for the greater power around you that we have forgotten and grown accustomed to, and wield the power you have for the goodness of others.
Photo Credit: adeleine sinsabaugh Flickr via Compfight cc
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S.J. Siedenburg is a thriller & fantasy novelist, an editor, and a bibliophile with a passion for stories and helping writers finish their novels. She’s the author of the guidebooks Character Presentation, Before the First Draft, and the How to Write a Novel online course. Six of her short stories have been published through writing contests. Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5