The most binding human trait is the ability to tell a story. Our amazing brains can process information and then weave independent bits into a coherent whole — a story. In short, the human brain is hard-wired for story.

The first “stories” humans learned to tell were hunting-gathering tales. Hunters read the signs of the creatures they were tracking. The best “story tellers” became the best hunters, the best providers. Reading these earliest “stories” didn’t take a vast vocabulary. These tales were simple: rabbit passed by here, mouse crossed its path, snake followed mouse and rabbit, snake catches mouse, rabbit hides and escapes. No intricate plots or surprise endings.

As society became more structured, stories grew more complex. And our stories did not always end the way we might have wa…