“The answer is never the answer. What’s really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you’ll always be seeking. I’ve never seen anybody really find the answer– they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.” -Ken Kesey
A few years ago I attended a men’s retreat in Colorado that turned out to be a turning point for me.
I and a couple friends who went together were assigned to a small “breakout” group to discuss our take-aways from the speaker’s message, which happened to be on the story of Samson (Judges 16 in the Bible). The speaker finished after an hour or so, and it was breakout time. We pulled our metal folding chairs into a lopsided circle next to a window that looked at on the snow falling through the trees. Around the circle the discussion went, each guy talking about what they got from the message. As my turn drew closer my hands got clammy. I did get something out of the message, but I couldn’t possibly share what was on my mind. No way. What I had to say was at least three kinds of crazy. Continue Reading…
A few days ago I tweeted about a talk that Lost creator J.J. Abrams gave at the TED 2007 Conference. Now, you might be asking, “Why are you writing about a two year old conference. I mean…seriously?”
First, because it’s one of the best talks I’ve come across on what makes stories work from someone who’s doing it. And he does it in 18 minutes. Here you have a guy who tells stories that millions of people tune into every week religiously. They want to know what the island is on Lost or what the Pattern on Fringe is. People devote entire websites to unraveling and dissecting the mystery because they. have. to. know.
And second, because the point he makes in his talk is the same one I tried to get at in a post I wrote last week. And that is, mystery is better than knowledge. Questions make stories. We want to know, but the not knowing is what drives us to tune in or turn the page. Like with Lost, each question leads to a new question and we never quite find satisfaction. And we love it.
There are some key lessons in here like knowing what not to reveal is as important as what to reveal, and mystery is oftentimes far better than knowledge. And, my favorite, the best stories are the ones with layers that aren’t always what they seem to be.
If you’re a storyteller, take the 18 minutes you’ll need to watch this then post your thoughts.
Unlock your full potential.