Sonder: We All Have a Story to Tell

Sonder: n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.  By definition, recorded history began with the invention of writing. What we commit to written memory is what our future generations will refer to as fact, how they’ll analyze who we were. What we don’t record may be forgotten, forever. But what about the people who can’t read or write? Or those who don’t have the resources or a platform to tell their story? How many stories have we lost because certain people didn’t want them to be told? Malcolm Gladwell, the memorable voice behind Revisionist History (a podcast that goes back in time to interrogate something ‘overlooked’ or ‘misunderstood’) says, “Who we are cannot be separated from where we’re from.” Let’s be sure our children know who tread the path before them. By telling peripheralized, marginalized or merely unexpected stories we are taking charge of our history. These are the stories of all of us. Sonder is our story category where we stop and take in the lived experiences of those who surround us. We encourage you to read on, friends.