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Navigating in Woods

A TREATISE ON THE ESSENCE OF STORY
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***THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

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Story, in its fundamental nature within the holistic continuum, is the evolution of desire and good away from or towards the highest good conceivable according to a certain structure of time. This truth stands as the foundation of all narrative existence within the holistic narrative continuum, wherein the ultimate good is none other than God Himself.

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The evolution herein spoken of constitutes the journey by which desire and good are fulfilled or left unfulfilled within the holistic life continuum. Desires, in their temporal nature, evolve in accordance with what is perceived as good, though this perception may or may not align with actual good. Such evolution necessarily implies gradation, wherein good evolves in varying degrees, whether ascending or descending, and desire in its manifold forms derives from different gradations of both perceived and actual good, as they exist in reality or in the fictional realm as apprehended by characters therein.

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As life and story progress in every aspect and as one, each element evolves in such an interconnected, intertwined way that no single thread may be pulled without moving the entire tapestry of existence. Within this unified field of being, where narrative flows as an unbroken stream of consciousness and reality, every moment of development touches and transforms every other, creating not isolated instances of change but a continuous, flowing metamorphosis of the whole. This perpetual movement of all aspects through all aspects manifests the very nature of the holistic narrative continuum, wherein story's evolution cannot be segmented into discrete parts but must be apprehended as one unified movement toward the divine.

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Desire, being the want for that which one perceives as valuable and good within the narrative continuum, stands essential to good itself—for good must be desired. Yet desires themselves need not necessarily be good, nor completely fulfilled. This desire exists not as mere conflict or emotion, which are its derivatives, nor as abstract value, which is already encompassed within good. Rather, desire and good capture the essence more precisely than values, which may suggest an overly Platonist conception. For abstract values do not evolve independently; it is their embodiment through desire and good that undergoes transformation within the holistic story continuum.

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Good, in its purest definition within the holistic narrative, is that which ought to be—that which bears kinship to God. This is the ultimate object toward which all authentic narrative strives, and for which readers unknowingly root.

 

The singular forms "desire" and "good" are employed rather than their plurals, for what matters in life is not an infinite array of compartmentalized goods, but rather a single, overarching state of all desire and ultimate good within the holistic continuum. All desires and good realities are but different limbs upon a greater body. When one approaches death's threshold, while particular moments may be recalled, the primary concern becomes overarching and ultimate—"I fulfilled my life, and my life fulfilled."


The necessity of time in this framework stems from desire and good's inherent requirement for gradation and causation within the holistic narrative continuum, which cannot exist without temporal structure. In any particular narrative, each of these elements must be defined, yet their definition exists not merely in the meta-story—that is, story as it enters our awareness—but in the very fabric of the holistic life continuum itself.

 

What we traditionally conceive as obstacles represent not necessary negative forces, but rather the conditions and effort required for the evolution toward higher good within the narrative continuum. This truth manifests even in pre-Fall existence, demonstrating that story's essence transcends the mere struggle against adversity. The obstacle, properly understood within the holistic continuum, is simply the necessary process by which unified desire evolves toward its highest form.

 

For everything exists within the holistic story continuum. Indeed, everything is not merely contained within the holistic narrative but is defined by it at its very heart. The recognition of this reality—this story-essence in all things—depends upon its apparentness to our minds, creating the meta-recognition that allows us to consciously appreciate narrative art within the holistic life continuum.

Therefore, if life itself is the evolution of desire and good over time, and if story is essentially life in its purest, most visceral form within the holistic narrative continuum, then the essence of story must be understood as desire and good evolving over time. This stands as the fundamental truth of all narrative existence, unifying both fictional and actual worlds under a single, coherent principle of being within the holistic continuum.

 

This truth remains constant within the narrative continuum whether the specific desire or good initially presented transforms into something entirely different by journey's end, for what matters is not the particular manifestation but the overarching evolution toward ultimate good. Thus do themes in stories achieve their incredible specificity and nuance within the holistic narrative—not through the exploration of singular desires or goods, but through the complex, holistic interplay of many desires and goods under the broader essence of human desire and divine good within the holistic story continuum.

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