Love: the driving force of every story

Think of any film, book or theatre production that doesn’t have an ounce of love in it - yeah I know, it’s kind of impossible right? I stand by the title of this post quite proudly because I know its true - love is the driving force behind every story ever told (and due to be told) because love is the driving force of life. Do I sound like sage-swaying-spiritual-vegan? yes, but is what I am saying true? Definitely! So let’s break down what I mean, how I mean it and why.

Now, I’m not saying every story is a love story, neither am I saying that it’s the only story, but I am saying every story has love in it’s core and it’s that objective towards love that drives the story. If I’m honest, it’s that same objective that pretty much drives us as people in general. We are consistently striving to attain some form of love, be it fame, recognised success, love from family or relationships, self love, patriotism etc. We’re all in a preliminary life cycle, trying to attain some level of it - receiving it or giving it out. So if that’s already in all of our DNA, how can it not be in all the stories we tell?

The story of the boy who lost his father and blamed himself for his death (Lion King) , his love for his father caused him to run away as he was consumed with guilt. His love for his father and guilt for his death caused him to run away and meet the team of funny air-headed animals he called family. I mean, I know this is just one example, but really, love (or the lack there of), is in all stories somewhere.

Correct me if I’m wrong, let’s discuss it further!