Joss Whedon’s Words of Wisdom
On Sunday, director and storyteller Joss Whedon gave the 2013 commencement address at Wesleyan University. In part he said:
You have, which is a rare thing, the ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself. To at least give it the floor. Because it is the key, not only to consciousness, but to real growth.
To accept duality is to earn identity, and identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just “who you are,” it is a process that you must be active in.
And it’s not parroting your parents or even the thoughts of your learned teachers, it is, now more than ever, about understanding yourself so you can become yourself.
I talk about this contradiction and this tension… There’s two things I want to say about it. One, it never goes away. And if you think that achieving something, if you think that solving something, if you think a career or a relationship will quiet that voice? It will not.
If you think happiness means total peace, you will never be happy. Peace comes from the acceptance of the part of you that can never be at peace. They will always be in conflict and if you accept that, everything gets a lot better!
The other reason is that because you are establishing your identities and beliefs you need to argue yourself down, because somebody else will. Somebody’s going to come at you. Whatever your belief, your idea, your ambition…somebody’s going to question it. And unless you have first you won’t be able to answer back. You won’t be able to hold your ground. You don’t believe me? Try taking a stand on just one leg. You need to see both sides.
The full transcript of Whedon’s speech can be found at TOR.com, and I encourage you to read it. Commencement speeches often end up being amazing glimpses into the brains of remarkable individuals. In this case, a man who has told stories that have captivated the imaginations of millions. In laying out his life advice to graduates, Whedon essentially offers the key to creating relatable stories that speak to people. All the way back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and on through The Avengers, the duality of the individual has played an important role in characterization. Buffy is part of a team yet the only Chosen One, a slayer of vampires yet falls in love with one (or two), confident in some ways yet insecure in many others. This theme also can be found in Malcolm Reynolds, Black Widow, and countless other characters he has brought to life.
It’s not just a good nugget for storytellers to learn from, but also bloggers and fans. When presenting an opinion piece, look at it from the eyes of those who will oppose it. When passionately debating a point with a fellow fan, consider their point of view.
Now go, watch an episode of Firefly or something!
Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and strong female characters. She also writes about Star Wars for Random House’s science fiction and fantasy blog Suvudu.com and Star Wars Insider magazine and is a contributor for Her Universe’s Year of the Fangirl.
In her spare time, Tricia puts the finishing touches on her first novel, Wynde. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
For updates on all things FANgirl follow @FANgirlcantina on Twitter or like FANgirl Zone on Facebook.
Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
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