The Power of Story

People have been telling each other stories since language began. Before it was written, there were storytellers. Today, we have many kinds of storytellers, from oral storytellers telling everything from folktales to memorized literature, to writers who write their stories in books, movies, television, radio, tapes, and even on interactive computer software. We are addicted to stories in every form, whether neighborhood gossip, picture books, novels, the evening news, talk shows, or those daydreams in our heads. We tell ourselves stories. And stories are meant to be shared. Coming together to share a story is one of the oldest ways people have enjoyed themselves. What is visiting with friends but sharing our own stories. The love of stories is "built in."

If we were looking for a way to describe people as different from animals, we could do well by naming homo sapiens "the storytellers." And for stories, two things are prime ingredients: imagination and persistence. There can be no story without an imagination that thinks, "What if . . . ?" No story without the persistence to keep honing the words and telling it.

One of the marvels of being human is that ability to imagine and communicate stories, good stories, ideas that hook the listener or reader. How about those books you just couldn't put down? The books your children begged you to read, "one more time"? The TV show you couldn't turn off? The daydream that took you far away, so far, you didn't hear what was going on around you?

So, let us enjoy and appreciate the magic and joy of shared stories, to become a part of that human experience, to hear other storytellers, other voices, other places, other times. Through story we can experience the past, the future, the joys and sorrows of others, imaginary places and creatures, tall tales and true. We can participate in the stories of our shared culture, and those of other cultures. We can learn about the world around us, from the sorrows to the joys, the arts to the sciences. We can find that we are not alone in our fears and problems, that there is joy and laughter somewhere in the world, that there are people like us and people who are different. We can learn our human language.