It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has

"It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense." Thus spoke Mark Twain, the great observer of human folly and grandeur. In this sharp saying lies a paradox that reveals much about the world: that truth is not bound by the neat patterns of storytelling, nor by the rules of logic that govern human imagination. Fiction must obey order, coherence, and probability. But reality—reality is wild, untamed, and often defies every expectation. It shatters the chains of reason and leaves us marveling at the bizarre, the unpredictable, the unbelievable that is nevertheless true.

When we create fiction, we weave stories that must satisfy the mind. The reader demands cause and effect, the rise and fall of events, an ending that ties together all threads. A tale without coherence is cast aside as poor art. But truth owes no such debt. It can be chaotic, irrational, full of contradictions. Life does not consult the rules of literature before unfolding its strange dramas. And so, when truth is revealed, it often seems more fantastic than any tale could dare to be.

History offers us countless examples of this strangeness. Consider the fall of the mighty Roman Empire: it was not destroyed in a single battle, but crumbled over centuries through greed, corruption, and the slow decay of discipline. Had a novelist written such a sprawling, uneven decline, critics would have scorned it as implausible, lacking the tidy climax of fiction. Yet this was the truth, and it astonished all who witnessed it.

Or reflect upon the tale of Rasputin, the mystic who gained power over the Russian royal family. Shot, stabbed, poisoned, and finally drowned, he seemed to defy death itself. Such a story, placed in a novel, would be dismissed as absurd, too excessive to believe. And yet it happened, and history records it. Here again we see Twain’s wisdom: truth is stranger than fiction, precisely because fiction must make sense, while truth has no such burden.

The lesson, then, is humbling: we must never assume that life will follow the patterns we expect. To cling too tightly to logic and probability is to blind ourselves to the wild, wondrous, and often chaotic nature of reality. Truth will often come clothed in garments too strange for reason, and yet it will be truth all the same. We must prepare our hearts to accept it, even when it does not fit our neat designs.

This wisdom calls us to live with both vigilance and openness. Be vigilant, so you are not deceived when truth takes its strangest forms. Be open, so that you do not dismiss reality simply because it defies your expectation. When life presents you with the improbable, do not reject it as impossible. Instead, ask: "What can I learn from this strangeness?" For often, the most unlikely events are those that carry the deepest lessons.

Practically, this means holding lightly to the illusion of control. Do not demand that life make sense at every turn. When you face hardship, or witness the absurdity of fate, remember Twain’s words. Know that reality is stranger than invention, and therein lies its mystery and its beauty. Instead of resisting the strangeness, embrace it as part of the fabric of existence.

So remember, children of tomorrow: "truth is stranger than fiction," and this is not to frighten you, but to free you. For in this strangeness lies the wonder of being alive. Do not demand that life follow the tidy paths of a novel. Live it fully, embrace its unpredictability, and you will find that what seems strange is often the very mark of its greatness.