The Crack That Makes the Story Human

Perfect people may earn admiration, but imperfect people often feel more recognisable. In his column 'From the Silence Within', Santosh Nair reflects on human weakness, judgement and the uncomfortable possibility that the faults we notice in others may sometimes reveal something about ourselves.

A little boy once asked his grandfather why stories always seemed to have people doing foolish things. Why did someone become jealous? Why did somebody lie when telling the truth would have been easier? Why did a brave man suddenly become afraid? The grandfather smiled and said, “If everyone in the story did the right thing, there would be no story.” It sounds like a joke, but hidden inside it is something deeply human. We are often moved not by people who never fall, but by people who stumble in ways we recognise. Stories about ordinary human weakness can be the most powerful of all.

For thousands of years, our greatest stories have understood this. Their memorable characters are rarely perfect. The mighty become angry. The wise become confused. The loyal feel jealous. The courageous hesitate. Someone knows what is right and still chooses wrongly. Someone else understands the truth only after causing damage. We remember such characters because their weakness brings them down from the pedestal and makes them sit beside us. Perfection may earn admiration. Imperfection creates recognition.

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