Protagonist; the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel, etc.

Don't all of us love a good read, or like to watch a good movie, especially if the story plot is fictious? Don't many of us wish that the story were real, and that we would have had even the tiniest role in it? Don't we all live these stories? Don't we all find solace in this imaginary world that is so diverse from ours, yet a lot similar?

Why is this? What is the purpose of fiction?

We can divide fiction into two segments, the 'happily ever after's and the tragedies.

The 'happily ever after's are exactly what we do not have. This is the real world, thus sadly, it does not constitute of this certain phase, for nothing in this world lasts forever, everything is inconsistent, ever changing. It seems only natural that one would resort to 'happily ever after's to give us a sense of hope, that something as good may be in store for us too.

But then, by that logic, shouldn't liking tragedies be uncanny and unearthly? As it so happens, tragedies give us a sense of pity, pity for the characters and their sufferance. But pity doesn't only mean feeling sorry for others' conditions. You also start feeling good about your own circumstances. It may look messed up, but most of human psychology is.

And then come the heroes, the shining stars who have their destinies leading them, the mantle of leadership thrust upon them. They were created for the purpose of balancing the greater order of the universe. Their names will always be engraved in gold in the pages of history.

But is that the truth? No, it isn't. There is no one hero in life. Every single one is a protagonist of his own story. There are no comedies, no tragedies, no dramas, no romance in here. There is no happily ever after. No unhappily ever after either. This is where sonder hits you. This is life; every single one has to struggle, to pick and fight our own battles, to survive. To accept help is honour, to take up the mantle of leadership without being obliged to do so is greatness. You may feel that you have it difficult, but so does everyone else. There is none with Alcidean strength, none with Athenian intelligence. We all have resources which we have to use to our own benefits. In this war, you are fighting only your inner enemy. If you stick around longer in the book of success, you win. You fail in your inner conflicts, and all you are left with is kenosis. With every move, we are writing our own stories, each different, each accounting the same events in disparate ways. Each one is a hero, for being their, bearing the pain, taking the deep gashes, sustaining the ugliest of scars, yet not giving up.

True to Shakespeare's words, ".....the world is but the world...... a stage where every man must play his part..."

Glossary:

• uncanny, unearthly- weird

• sonder: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

• obliged: legally or morally bound to do something.

• Alcides: Hercules, son of Zeus, extremely strong

• Athena: Roman goddess of wisdom

• Kenosis: emptiness

• Disparate: essentially different in kind; not able to be compared.