The Framework Hypothesis: A Foundation for My Worlds

This thesis (a dab of philosophy) represents my struggle to understand why stories work the way they do in the lives of people and what impact it has in our hearts. I have been laboring through this for some two years now, through thoughts that come and go until only a central pillar remained: The Crystalline Melody. It is my hope that this paper may present this hypothesis in a suitable way so that any who read it may understand and so that I can remember what has been found through His grace.

What is The Framework Hypothesis?

The Framework Hypothesis is my attempt to portray the spiritual nature of our world through the art of stories. Now stories have always been very interesting to me. People cannot create real objects out of thin air, and so we turn to creating stories, which impact us with a reality that is not here physically. How can this be done? Through the emotions and interactions of others. Yes, stories are, at their culmination, the representation of interaction. We love to engage with stories even though they are not necessarily real in regards to having a physical connection with this world (perhaps that is where artists come in, albeit these creations can never have true life, as hard as we try). People have been given a gift: to create worlds without the problems of reality. Think about it, if we created a real world, we would have to slog through real problems. Instead, we are given the freedom to come up with stories, and so we have the freedom to travel and create worlds unrestrained. It is a marvelous gift that is unique to us alone.
And so this is a basis for the existence of stories and the justification of our involvement with them for ourselves. However, this is where the interaction of others comes in. See, I came upon a problem within myself. I could spend hours thinking up of imaginary world, getting lost in them, even preferring them instead of real life on Earth (I think others may have fell down that rabbit hole as well, too). What is the point of stories when you are the sole experiencer? Indeed, we were not given life to be by ourselves. Humanity began because of the desire to interact with another. Therefore, my stories can only be fruitful and "real" if they are conceived to be given up to the interaction of others. My stories are considered dead if they exist alone. We see this in books. The author creates the book, drawing forth thought into physical ink because it will be viewed by the readers. The story only comes alive when the reader begins to read. Thus interaction has begun between the author and the reader, with the story coming alive through the words on the page and the world being seen through the mind of the reader. This restriction of what constitutes how stories are made real (in that a story's goal is the eventual build-up of a world that is shared with another, even if some of those worldbuilding details are never seen). This restriction is necessary, otherwise worlds will beg for interaction that cannot be given, thus dying and taking all of my passion and longing for it to be real with it. And with that, my time.
For me, time is important and precious. If it is just benefiting me, and it is all I do, then it is wasted (for it represents gluttony of self and lack of healthy moderation and time spent with others). Therefore, my stories must have interaction, and not only for the sake of interaction, which itself might waste time. No, my stories must point to the One that gives light, life, and truth. Only then, when I open up myself to others, to their reflections, can life be complete.

The Crystalline Melody

This brings us to the Crystalline Melody. It is the central pillar that upholds the Interactions of Thought. It explains the Aspects and the Reflections that are present in our world and that are found and make up stories. When we interact with people, who have all been created by the One, we are interacting with them and their Aspects. These Aspects are what compose a person's soul, featuring their faults, ideals, ideas, talents, abilities, perspectives, and much more. And then there are Reflections. Picture a crystal, any type, shape, and color. Now picture a light shining upon it, through it. Picture a surface where this light can reflect off of. The One is the light, we are the crystal, with the facet bearing the Aspect, and the reflection tells the story. Not all crystals are perfect, they all bear flaws and imperfections.
Now this has produced a problem. Why would the One allow evil? This stumped me and the stories I wanted to write. I wanted to create only the perfect worlds, unmarred by problems and evil, therefore rendering any sort of plot as dead. This would not do, for I kept trying to reconcile all stories to this end. I needed to understand why evil had to exist. My conclusion is this: freewill. The One created us not as mindless drones, but as ones who could think and do. Therefore, Connection had to come. The ability to choose how to respond with another and ourselves. All the great stories have that and if not, then purpose falls. My brother, in his world, seeks to explore another facet that is interesting: Change. It is equally interesting, for he seeks to present the challenge of how others react to change. I wonder if connections make a difference..and to what degree.
Connection leads to another facet, Choice. Choice opens up the possibility to disappoint based on expectation. Why then is one choice considered "evil" while the other is considered "good"? Indeed, only One can answer that. Only One is able. Regardless of that conundrum, stories explore the limitless Aspects we have been infused with, for whatever reason, to the glory of Him. That is what I want my stories to do, with the ultimate goal of showing forth the world's connection to Him, no matter the shape, color, or type. You have Aspects that I have not experienced, nor can understand. All to further His glory. And so, stories will have conflicts of interest and ultimately evil in them in order to better present the opportunity of experiencing both sides of Choice and ultimately, what you choose.
I have come to understand Tolkien somewhat, for he said he did not intentionally want to portray Christianity in his stories, yet it came about unexpectedly, almost naturally. My stories have done the same in places, remarkably. This leads me to the latest and last part of The Framework Hypothesis.

A Vessel Through Chaos

In short, life is chaotic. It is filled with the lives, actions, ideas, plans, imaginings, dreams, memories, aspects, and reflections of billions of humans. We can become overwhelmed if we were to try to experience and gain the perspectives of all of that. Therefore, stories act as vessels for us to explore a set of interactions within our own worldview without having to worry about the whys of why. My Framework is my why, allowing me to ground my stories to a foundation, an undergirding. My framework is Him, providing Vessels the space needed to interact.
You are that Vessel. The story provides respite from the chaos. The character is not aware of you. You see through the eyes of the Character, yet the Character is not you. Thus this allows for interactions that may not be possible in reality, for stories are not real, yet they are composed of Aspects that are. Such a divine gift! In short, this hypothesis allows me to dedicate time to creating worlds for my friends and others while at the same time acknowledging His presence and glory. I would not do it otherwise.

Side note for after the reading: Stories are interactions that are made up of several components (senses, thinking, emotions, words, pictures, etc.). The more components interacted with, the more real the story becomes. My character in my brother's world, Tarmac, is not real like me (though part of him is me, more than I realize!), but he does enhance me, further me. Solitary kills humans. We are made to interact, to live. Stories are another component of this. We can live in this different take of reality. Tarmac's life continues because I continue to interact with others and God. Tarmac is a representation of certain Aspects in order to provide a closer look at them. A cluster of Aspects: it is not me, but them, or maybe it is me, a part of me. We are created with Aspects, but I am isolating a couple to better explore their Reflections. This exploration can even be done through Aspects not my own, though it will surely be processed through me. And this is not just through Tarmac, but everything in Tales from Vaxus.
Another side note: God speaks to us, wherever we are in life, though hearing can be improved if we lean in and listen. When I speak to God, I find benefit in talking to Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Genesis, the first book in the Bible, has always fascinated me. It is partly the reason for me wanting to explore this world through stories. I hope it inspires you to explore this world more with Him, too.