Why This World Needs Your Stories

"There needs to be a bouquet of flowers in this gallery to balance the dark," a yoga teacher said to me years ago, and I've never forgotten it. She was referring to an art exhibit we were at together on the theme of war and poverty. I was in my mid-20s and doing an MA in Literature; was headstrong, arty, and fixed in my ideas. She was calm, in middle age (or older) as I am today, and radiated good sense.

At the time I thought she was too positive and a bit woo woo (which we called New Age in those days). Did she not see the horror and desperation that this exhibit was communicating? Did all her downward facing dogs and meditations in Anjali Mudra shield her from the bitter truth of the world?

I had thought yoga was only for the yoga studio and that the big, bad world outside was somehow separate and in need of my finger-pointing lessons. In my world of dark politics and black clothes we were all basically screwed. Those in power had low ideals and huge amounts of cash from Big Oil, Big Pharma, and the world would eventually be destroyed as a result.

I still consider those issues deeply, yet today I view stories as the flowers my yoga teacher thought were so vital to our survival. Yes, wars and poverty exist—big and small, and it feels that the planet is spinning out of control. Yet it’s in telling and in being exposed to a wide range of stories that we will create a path forward.

Sharing stories of hope and resilience cuts through polarization as they connect us to others even if we don’t necessarily agree with their politics. It's hard in this era of fake news and deep fakes to differentiate between what's true and real, and what’s just plain lies. Though the more stories we tell about our lived experiences, the more we’ll be able to differentiate between the real and the bogus. All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time…

― Richard Wagamese What stories do you have to tell about your own experiences, about what’s important to you, or about how another person has changed you?

5 WAYS TO TELL (OR LISTEN TO) STORIES THAT MAKE A LASTING IMPACT 1. Think about what story or stories resonate with you. Write a list of 5-8 core values such as creativity, caring for your community, creating a culture of belonging related to those stories. These are the themes that excite you and may propel you to writing your own story. 2. ​Consider the words you use to tell stories and how using positive adjectives such as considerate, adventurous, courageous, or intuitive, reliable and sincere can create positive outcomes. This doesn’t mean getting all Pollyanna on people, rather when you’re communicating a challenging story, see if there’s a silver lining hidden somewhere. The words we use are powerful tools that can breed either hope (and as a result, often action) or despair. Choose your words with care. 3. When someone’s sharing their story, really listen to what they’re saying. Don’t look at your phone or think about what you’re going to say. Learning to listen is the first step to telling your own stories that will have an impact on others. 4. If you feel that you have a story you'd like to tell, try writing it out in free form and see what happens. It is said that stories with emotional resonance, ones where you make the person feel something, are the most memorable. 5. If you make art—whether that’s paintings, pottery, sonnets, suits of armour for mice—all these expressions are stories you’re telling people about what’s important to you. What message or story are you communicating through your art? What’s the metaphor? Your overarching message? Once you’re aware of what it is, you can get even better at relaying the story of what you’re about in a meaningful way.

Stories are vehicles for social change. 

Stories transform us and open our hearts.

Stories breed empathy and connections.

Stories are fun to share and to enjoy.

Psst.... There’s a revolution afoot, and our stories will be there to guide us.