“Every real story is a never ending story.”
~ Michael Ende, The Neverending Story
The story never really ends. Someone might stop telling it, but it goes on, always.
When I was a kid, the Neverending Story was one of my favorite movies. Growing up, I read more than any other child I knew. I got lost in books, and I was often so in love with the characters I did not want the story to end. There is a much longer quote from The Neverending Story about such experiences, about that feeling of being in love with the characters and coming almost (or actually) to tears, at times, that you had to leave them at the end of a great book.
In real life though, the story never truly ends. We may think it does, or we may, more often, stop paying attention. But the story always goes on.
We might think, “what about when someone dies? Surely their story ends there.” But no, it really doesn’t. That person may have raised children, taught people, or otherwise influenced even one person at some point. So their story continues.
I found a journal recently that was from when I was in 8th and 9th grade. I read the whole thing in a night. It ended on a cliffhanger: would the boy I liked then ever like me back? I know how that tiny piece of my story ended, and I’m so happy my story continued on through quite a few other relationships to my current one.
Every time I wrote in the journal, I dedicated the entry to a different animal, sometimes an actual individual animal I knew, but more often an endangered species. For example, “To the Giant Panda, next week I am going to write a letter to help support more funding for you to come to the United States for breeding programs.” As a kid, the stories of endangered species broke my heart. I was in love with those characters, and their stories have not ended.
I went on to work in conservation science for the last 12 years. I’ve never let go of the story of endangered species and the need to conserve them. The work – teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness – and writing I do now, continues that story. I know that in order for us to want to conserve species and our planet, we have to connect with ourselves and connect with others in genuine and honest ways.
This summer, while driving across the country, I was struck by the wildfires burning out West and wanted to know more. I thought for sure their story had to be tied to global warming. I did some research and wrote an article for elephant journal about global warming, wild fires, and fake news.
In my research, I found that even though I wanted to tell a tidy story about global warming increasing the fires, it was more complicated than that. After seeing the news of the wildfires in California the past few weeks, I realized even though I wrote an article which itself had a beginning and an end, the story of the wildfires is not finished.
Maybe that’s part of combatting fake news and practicing slow, ethical, journalism: understanding that the story doesn’t end at the end of your article or even at the end of an article you read.
In returning to the wildfire story, I discovered an enlightening article about researchers modeling the effects of climate on wildfires. Studies like this will allow us to understand how global warming may be contributing to the problem.
My partner had also sent me a particularly fascinating New York Times article explaining how a group of scientists was studying two sections of forest to ascertain the effects of an increase in fire frequency, which may occur as global warming continues. Both sections of forest had burned years ago, but one section had burned again more recently. The researchers found differences in ability to reseed and the overall makeup of the two sections of forest. Again, this study cited the complexity of the wildfire issues.
Finally, I also found some amazing images of the wildfires from the Atlantic that touched my heart—and might touch yours as well.
It felt good to update myself on the story of the wildfires and global warming. Global warming isn’t a story I put down, ever, having been in conservation science for so many years. It is a story I hope someday will have a good ending, but I know it definitely isn’t over yet, so I pay attention.
What happens though to those stories that we read and put down and assume they are finished? What happens to those stories that we want to be done? What happens when we decide a story is finished even when it isn’t?
Take the story centered around a woman who accused some men of gang-raping her at the University of Virginia a few years ago that ran in Rolling Stone. I remember people being very upset by it. I will admit, I wasn’t consuming much news during that time, but I recently learned that it was retracted. I believed it to be true for a few years, even after it was retracted. I wasn’t true though, and I’m sure there are many more of us who may still not know.
But the Rolling Stone story wasn’t even intentional fake news. The reporter involved had her best intentions at heart, I have no doubt. What happens though when we believe a fully fabricated story, take it as truth, and never look any further into it?
The story of the fight against fake news is definitely not finished. What more can we do to help write a good ending to this story? In addition to the five things I asked us all to do in my last article, let’s all also recognize that rarely is a story ever over.
If there’s a topic you want to stay on top of, set alerts from the New York Times or another publication you trust. With the New York Times, you can set alerts for keywords and topics and even stock tickers, if that interests you. Personally, I have alerts set for “global warming”, “endangered species” and “climate change” among other things.
If there’s something you want to follow that’s more specific or a certain study, topic or person, set a reminder on your phone to check on it periodically. Search reliable news sources for keywords that relate to your area of interest.
If you are unsure how to identify reliable news sources, this infographic is a good place to start.
Whether it’s endangered species, global warming, plastic in our oceans, racial inequality, women’s rights or universal healthcare — whatever you are passionate about — don’t let it go. Stay diligent.
The fight against fake news is more than just a fight against a wrong; it is a fight for human connection. By fighting for connection and connecting with each other honestly, it is easier for us to make the decisions that will benefit our planet and everyone and everything on it.
I’m still in love with the characters of this planet, the endangered species and the threatened species, the species that are not endangered or threatened – though there’s an argument to be made that we all are threatened — including us humans.
I’m still in love with the characters of this planet and I don’t want our story to end.
The great thing about a story never really being over is that we can potentially have a hand in writing it. Join me in the fight against fake news and let’s write the truth together.
