After reading Julie Beck’s “Life’s Stories”, I noticed places that caught my attention. First, the opening paragraph was very eye catching. She stated, “It’s just not how I expected my life would be.” When reading this, it opened my eyes to my own life. It made me think, am I living my best life?, am I trying my hardest?, is this what I am supposed to be doing? These questions can only be answered by me. Life is a journey where you live and learn. Another moment in this article that stood out to me was when she labeled adolescents as “actors” and elders as “agents.” I have never thought of this correlation before. It really made me think about how they connect. Adolescents are open to learning about cartoons and fictional stories while elders are interested in the news and informational pieces. Kids are actors because they are still learning who they are and what role they play in society. Elders are agents because they are more experienced and watch over the actors to show them guidance. Lastly, when Beck talked about the cognitive tools developed during early stages of life that help with their own narrative. Causal coherence and thematic coherence connect as being the building blocks to a narrative story. As kids age and become older, the stronger these tools get. These points peaked my curiosity and forced me to think harder and longer about the overall topic.
It would be interesting to write an autobiography around the themes of causal and thematic coherence. I imagine it would be possible to write the same person’s life any number of different ways. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.