stories

I believe in stories.  Over the past few months I've read several articles and books on the topic that have gotten me thinking a lot more about the value, meaning, power, and prevalence of stories in our everyday lives.

We are surrounded by stories.  We hear them as loved ones recount their day, a friend tells you about an experience from their past, gossip about your co-worker catches your ear, a child gets a bed time story, through a pastor's sermon, watching movies and TV, reading a book, listening to music, and so on.  Much of daily interactions with people are stories and many of the things we do for leisure involve stories.  We are constantly telling stories and listening to them.

Stories hold great power over us.  As the saying goes, you are what you eat, and the stories we consume define us in a way that sometimes we don't even fully realize.  They affect how we interpret life and give us values.  Stories of men being superior to women, of using violence, having a spiritual message, or that speak to the goodness of humanity all manifest differently within ourselves.  There are good stories, and there are bad stories.  All stories tell us and teach us something, and we need to be mindful of that. 

What kind of stories are you telling, and what kind of stories are you hearing?  Stories are everywhere.  We consume them, we tell them, and we live them. If we're not telling good stories to the people we love and manage the stories we consume, who else will?  For our others' sakes and for own sakes, we should try to tell, live, and listen to good stories.