Unknowing the Known World

I’m interested in narration—on and off the page. How we narrate our stories, yes. Also, how we narrate our lives. That’s what I want to talk about for this week’s writing prompt. Bear with me as I navigate a circuitous path toward the point, starting with this quote from Stephen Jay Gould:

“The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best, and therefore never scrutinize or question.”

Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also purportedly one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. I love Gould’s call to examine the stories we think we know best. Which must by definition include our own stories, the stories we tell about our lives, because where else do we see ourselves as holding more expertise and certitude?  

I’m examining one of my own stories as I watch the snow fall outside my windows. Yes, it’s snowing. It’s been snowing nonstop for days. I don’t like snow, e…