The Launch of Self-Discovery
We were in the hotel, spending our last night of the weekend in the Bavarian Forest with Sebastian, when I got a message from my brother: "Navalny is dead. Did you hear it?" I couldn’t utter a word.
My brother, who knows my soul the best, knew how closely Navalny's story gripped my heart. He also knew that I don’t watch the news much because I invest almost all my time in art and education. I immediately told Sebastian, and he said, “I read about it yesterday, but I didn’t want to tell you—I didn’t want to spoil our vacation.” Sebastian knows how emotionally connected I felt to Navalny.
Some stories punch me in the gut, leaving me unable to explain the impact they have on me. This was the case with Alexei Navalny. Sometimes it’s a person; sometimes, it’s the story of a group.
Resonating With the Story
For a long time, I couldn’t understand why I was so emotionally affected by a stranger’s life story. Why would I be so interested in someone’s suffering, someone who doesn't have any direct connection to me? But I always followed my curiosity and never stopped myself.
I know there’s always a reason why a particular story resonates with us. Following my curiosity always led me to discover something important about myself and my place in this world.
I followed my curiosity when I became fascinated by the story of the Dyatlov group—a group of nine young Soviet hikers who perished in the Ural Mountains. It took more than three months to locate all their bodies, and I researched everything I could about them. I just couldn't stop myself from doing it.
I also followed my curiosity when I felt drawn to the story of Jeanna Friske, a successful Russian actress, singer, and model who chose to bring her child into the world instead of treating her cancer at its early stages.
Likewise, I followed my curiosity about Vincent van Gogh’s life story, devouring books and studying all his artworks, visiting the last place on earth he spent his life and even reaching his tomb to find closure.
Now, I couldn’t stop following my curiosity about Alexei Navalny’s life story. I was digging deep to understand his motivations.
It's not the person we resonate with; it's the story behind the person. This is my latest realization about this unexplainable curiosity I experience.
Source: wikimedia.org
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The Impact of Vision
It’s not the person who grabs our heart; it's their inner strength that draws us to them. It’s not just about the people in the stories we love, but rather the personality traits we are drawn to.
When we start identifying those traits, we discover that we possess them ourselves—we are just afraid to bring them to light.
I know that all the stories that grab my heart have a common thread: they speak of vision and courage. They talk about having a vision in life bigger than oneself and the courage to follow it, even at the risk of one’s life.
Like Vincent van Gogh, Alexei Navalny, Jeanna Friske or the members of Dyatlov group, they all knew at some point that their life could be the price of their vision. I’m sure they experienced fear, but their belief in their vision made that fear insignificant.
Van Gogh himself once expressed this sentiment: "I have no idea why my paintings are not selling, but there will come a time when people will realize that they are worth more than just the money for the colors." Humanity eventually came to understand this, although he never experienced in his lifetime the success his art achieves today.
Having a vision in life that is bigger than yourself is something every world-changer experiences. We, as artists, are world changers. We are people who want to leave something behind. We have a vision.
We are courageous, and although we feel fear, it’s too insignificant to stop us from following our vision. When your vision gets bigger than your fear, nothing in this world can stop you from pursuing it.
As I said before, I believe with all my heart that everyone is an artist. Whether he recognizes this in himself or not, we are all born artists. We are all creators, as we ourselves come from a Creator.
Have you ever felt that someone’s story is so close to your heart that you can’t shake it? Has someone’s life story grabbed your heart so much that you felt an unexplainable closeness to them, even though you have never met them?