I CAME WITHIN AN INCH OF LOSING MY SOUL
THE CHILD
Growing up, I wanted to wear a cape and save the innocent and punish the evildoers just like every other kid in town. There was only one problem. I was scrawny. Between age 10 to 16, I was bullied at school a lot. And I handled the bullies in the best way I knew how. By laughing with them and never fighting back. Inside, I was crying but the conflict taught me an important lesson.
THE TWIST
When I turned 16, life delivered one of its jokes. An unexpected growth spurt made me a lot bigger than the other boys. But the bullying persisted, having evolved from the physical to the mental. By then, I knew to hang out with the friendlier seniors more. Eventually, we banded together to form a covert group that spied on and meted out punishments to the bullies at our school. At last, I was a vigilante and it felt right.
THE RISE
My experiences helped me relate to the sufferings of others profoundly. As a young man, I was eloquent and my presence was commanding. And I used both to help others and advance my own career. Solving people’s problems came naturally to me, that soon, I was crushing it in sales! I rose fast without an expensive education, supportive friends or a rich set of parents. I was proud, but the mask I had donned years ago was still on, hiding my insecurities.
THE FALL
Soon, my life was all about chasing money, power and glamour, not so much about helping others. I was young, talented, hungry and well... foolish. I degenerated from the superhero I had dreamed of becoming, to the supervillain I had disdained. The betrayal was complete when the most important people in my life noticed my shrinking values. One of them sat me down for a talk one day, and I gave him a low blow.
THE REBIRTH
That light-hearted comment shifted something in me and I couldn’t sleep for days. But in the darkness, I finally saw the real, hollow me. I remembered a time when I cared about others. When I helped people not so much for money, but for the sheer pleasure of witnessing a breakthrough or a grateful teardrop. I wanted that sublime feeling again. I knew what I had to do. It wasn’t easy, but once I removed the mask, my words acquired a purer form of power that truly served others. And the Storyteller was born.
MEET AJ
