#7 On Stories
Reflecting on the power of storytelling to shape our reality, beliefs and emotions.
“Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”
Native American Proverb
When was the last time…
A story gave you goosebumps?
A narrator caught all your attention?
You actively listened to a different point of view without judgement?
An anecdote changed the perception you had of someone?
You told your personal story?
Stories Shape Our World
Stories hold extraordinary powers, capable of starting a war and bringing peace. They can convince you to buy something you don’t need and travel somewhere you never thought of visiting. Stories will make you laugh, cry, empathise, fall in love…..
Humans have been sharing stories for as long as we have existed, through drawings, sign language, spoken and written words.
Storytelling has served as a means of self-expression, education, connection, influence and entertainment. It is our most primitive form of communication, and it continues to shape our world in profound ways.
“It is the distinctive ability to believe in stories that separate sapiens from other creatures. You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.”
Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens
Every story has a unique point of view and perspective, which is shaped by the individual who tells it. In the process of writing, non-fiction can be transformed into fiction.
The Danger of a Single Story.
In Spain during the 1960s, there was only one television channel available, and all programming had to be approved by the country's dictatorship at the time. This censorship ensured that only a single perspective was presented to the public.
History is not necessarily an objective record of events, but rather a narrative constructed by those in power. As a result, many history books continue to present a narrow and incomplete representation of groups and cultures, which can lead to harmful stereotypes and prejudices.
While social media has expanded the range of content available, algorithms can reinforce existing biases and limit exposure to alternative perspectives.
By listening to other’s stories, seeking out multiple sources and being aware of the limitations of our own viewpoints, we can better appreciate the complexity and diversity of the world around us. See Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk on The Danger of a Single Story.
The antidote to one-sided thinking is active listening, empathy and genuine curiosity.
“The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.”
Dalai Lama
Practice & Act
Original letter "Ensayo” by Avi Rossend
The only mistake God made was not giving humans two lives: one to practice and one to act.
If I have become interested in telling stories, it is thanks to the way they have been told to me; through the jewels of my family, neighbours and friends, jewels that I try to reproduce humbly. I like to narrate a world in which natural and fantastic elements mix, without fluff around them.
There will always be a group of authoritarians who try to take over the planet. I wonder…. Where is the criticism towards the capitalist system that has perpetuated extreme inequality?
If an artist of any kind shines a light on what is off, it is because no one else is going to do it.
But then I understand that married people are only allowed to write with their wedding ring on, so do you need to get married to write? What if you're not? Why do we always have to share everything? Isn't it better to keep the memories that no one else can imagine to ourselves?
Besides, what I find interesting, others couldn’t care less about. My curiosities bore them.
by Avi Rossend
Underneath every story, there is an emotion.
What was your favourite story growing up?
I always asked for the same bedtime story growing up, “The Ugly Duckling”. My Dad would recount it every night, shortening it gradually until it became a bedtime summary. I loved it. I thought it just got better and better every time.
It wasn't until I read "Women Who Run With The Wolves" that I realised why I insisted on hearing that story every single night. It explored emotions that resonated deeply with little Bea; feeling out of place and misunderstood, wanting to fit in and be loved, the hope of a potential to transform into something beautiful and powerful.
Underneath every thought we tell ourselves, there is a story.
Underneath every story, there is an emotion.
Underneath every emotion, there is a first memory linked to it.
Acknowledging the story and tapping into the emotion enables us to transform that initial thought.
Thanks Marga for the therapy insights :)
Ensayo
Original letter from Avi Rossend
El único error de Dios, fue no haber dotado al hombre de dos vidas: una para ensayar y otra para actuar.
ENSAYO Y ACTÚO:
Si me he interesado por contar historias, es gracias a la manera en que me las han contado, las joyas de mi familia, incluso vecinos y amigos, que intento reproducir humildemente. Me gusta narrar un mundo en el que se mezclan elementos naturales o fantásticos, sin faros ni lucecitas.
Siempre existe un grupo de autoritarios que intentan hacerse con el planeta.
Pregunto: ¿Dónde está la crítica del propio capitalismo que nos ha llevado a un sistema de una desigualdad horrorosa?
Si un artista de cualquier tipo, muestra lo que está mal, es porqué nadie lo va a hacer.
Pero entonces tengo entendido que solo los casados se les permite escribir con el anillo de bodas puesto, ¿Entonces necesitas casarte? ¿Y si no lo estás?…
¿Por qué lo tenemos que ir contando siempre todo? ¿No es mejor conservas en uno mismo los recuerdos que nadie más puede imaginar? Además lo que yo considero interesante, a los demás no les interesa un pepino; las curiosidades les provocan hastío.
Avi Rossend