We Need Storytelling Alongside Science

Science, as we practice it now, doesn’t hold all the answers

Photo by Maria Lupan on Unsplash

I want you to believe me when I say this:

The most happens on the inside when nothing happens on the outside. One of the most important things I can do is to sit still and do nothing but watch.

Now, I won’t tell you what science has to say about this. It’s enough that I know it from my experience. This isn’t to disregard the value of research, numbers, and data. They are important. They allow us to take a bird’s eye view of the experiences of the collective which we don’t otherwise have access to.

But. Data-backed conclusions and scientific research can’t be our only sources of truth. We can’t say that if something isn’t proven by a controlled experiment, then it’s not true. Such approach would disempower and gaslight millions of people who will never have a researcher come to them to get curious about their experience. This approach ignores the limitations of science — which is, after all, a framework constructed by limited human minds.