No doubt you recognize it, the stubborn din that imposes itself atop every other thought until you turn your attention its way. My talking mind has been my companion all of my life, willful creation that it is. And bless it, it's gifted enough to argue both sides of most mental debates. Fortunately, the banter often sparks relevant observations. Call them rants, poems, or whatever you will, just blame my talking mind.

"Only time will tell whether your spirit gave you a true seeing or your talking mind gave you an illusion." ~ Lorcan's Bane

We generally define fiction as a literary creation based on imagination, rather than fact. However, the word derives from an ancient Latin root that means "to make by shaping." So it is that fiction, in the form of allegories and parables, is commonly used by spiritual masters to direct their cultures toward enlightenment. The bible is filled with such fables. Campfire teachings of aboriginal wiseones also rely on the power of myth to convey essential precepts to their students.

Why?

Surely, the shaping of nations would be better accomplished through serious discourse rather than through flights of fancy.

Or not. Fiction’s power lies in its implausibility. In order to engage in a fictional tale, we must first suspend our culturally imposed assumptions of what is true. Thereafter, we listen with unfettered ears. We see through untrammeled eyes. And our hearts embrace possibilities that are otherwise unthinkable when perceived through the limitations of fact-based "reality." Thus unhindered, the human soul is free to peruse the extraordinary.

It’s no wonder, then, that our most heroic aspirations spring from this medium of conscious disbelief. . . that our greatest inventions come from the realms of "what if". . . and our highest visions for humanity often begin with "once upon a time."

Dare we suggest that today’s fiction may be tomorrow’s promise?