Designated survivor

"It's not the topic. It's how you treat it", said arguably my favourite character on the now Netflix political show, Designated Survivor—Lyor.

Everybody tells a story. It's either you answering the infamous "why do you love me?" that the love of your life asks you on a cozy evening or writing a letter to a foreign university about why you should get admitted or planning out your game plan to move from the feed to the DMs to WhatsApp.

Somehow, you are telling a story.

But the thing about telling a story is that we focus so much on the effect without minding the intent. A toned down version of "the end justifies the means".

Steal her number off your friend's phone; tell her you love her because of how 'enterprising' she is; say you're an avid supporter of the SDGs, a topic you haven't visited until the open tab on your browser.

It's hard to classify as selfish or selfless, considering the fact that stories have as much effect on the teller as they do on the recipient.

It's not the topic, it's how you treat it.

It's not what you say. It's not who you say it to. It's not about you either. It's all three. It's playing a fair game—being honest about what you say, who you say it to and why you're saying it.

Because honesty lasts ... really long—and like President Kirkman would show at the end, it is almost easy to lose it in a flash.

So when next you want to write a story, do me a favour. Think about yourself, "is this fair to me and who I am?"

Good morning.

Ciao.

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