Exploring The Impact of Writing with C.S. Lewis and Roger Bannister

Unleashing Creativity: The Impact of Writing through the Eyes of C.S. Lewis and Roger Bannister and Habakkuk

C.S. Lewis, (1898 –1963) was the prominent British author and literary scholar, who is best known for his fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. C.S Lewis held academic positions in English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and faculty chair at Magdalene College, Cambridge (1954–1963). His celebrity status was branded as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. He turned down the king’s honorific title of OBE (1951), so we can’t refer to him as Sir. (One more thing – Magdalene College in Cambridge U. has an e at the end, unlike Oxford U. Magdalen sine e).

One of C.S. Lewis many pearls of wisdom is: "You can make anything by writing."

He emphasized the power of writing to create and shape reality. C.S. Lewis believed that through writing, we can bring into existence new worlds, characters, and ideas, thus influencing not only our own minds but also the minds of others and their bank accounts. Ask great wealthy writers like J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Danielle Steel or Paolo Coelho.

C.S. Lewis was not the first to state the many higher meanings of writing.

The biblical prophet Habakkuk (Hab. 2:2-3), received a vision from God and is instructed to "write the vision and make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come”.

This passage highlights the importance of recording divine messages and prophecies, ensuring their preservation and future fulfillment.

In our time Sir Roger Bannister, (1929 – 2018), was a British neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran first the sub-4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a record in the 1,500 meters run and finished in fourth place. This achievement strengthened his resolve to become the first athlete to finish a one mile (1,609 meters) run in less than four minutes. He accomplished this feat on 6 May 1954, in Oxford. In his memoir, Bannister described his training routine and record keeping and quoted… Habakkuk 2:2-3.

How do I know? The 25 years old, Bannister, a neurophysiologist and athlete, kept written records of how he achieved what no human being did before him. (For that he was awarded the OBE honor from the Queen).

Connecting these ideas with my experience of "serendipity encounters" leads me to summarize my thoughts and mindset in this writing that aligns with Lewis’s quote, the biblical passage of Habakkuk, and the notable physician-neurologist Sir Roger Bannister.

Get this – serendipity encounters can be engineered.

How so?

The power of writing. By writing down our thoughts and experiences, we are giving them form and substance. We are, in that sense making something by writing. This act of writing clarifies our thinking, solidifies our understanding, and potentially influences our future experiences. Just as Habakkuk was instructed to record his vision for future generations, our writing serves as a testament to our personal journey and a source of inspiration or guidance for others.