stories

It's crucial that we don't understand each other. Just like matter is mostly empty space, understanding is mostly misunderstanding. 

Each of us lives in our own unique world. We don't think the same way. We're actually very quirky and strange, but we've learnt how to translate our inner world into an outer language that others can understand. What we express is never an unmediated reflection of what is within because it can't be. Language is a different medium from the contents of our minds. 

Sometimes people tell you you're wrong about your own thoughts and feelings. You tell them what you think, and they're response is, no you're wrong. Or they tell you a different story that you know for a fact isn't true. Sometimes when that happens it can be a real revelation. It's a kind of knowledge. You might have thought that maybe they understand, and now you know for sure that they don't, because the story they tell about what's going on in your mind - as they have interpretted it - is completely wrong. 

It's actually a huge moment when that happens. It's a seed of certainty or faith, which is ironic because, in their story, there's something wrong with your faith or wth your behavior or your thinking. You know you're flawed and you have issues but you also know that their story about you is even more flawed.