“The best storytellers are irredeemably mad, driven by a desire to express something that will actually make the world give a damn. As if the world cared! Such perversity lies beyond the understanding of most of us – of those not so enamoured with the creation of stories that there can be no thought of doing anything else.”
– Billy Marshall Stoneking
In a world where the key word so often seems to be apathy, what do you care about? Do you care about tragedies that touch your life peripherally? Does it matter more that three people died in the city where you live or that 20 children were killed with money from your government? Do you care about how a particular tragedy went down or do you care about what in society is causing these tragedies in the first place? What is the story that is taking place? What are its themes? Are you stuck in details and missing essence? It’s so easy to get blindsided by fear or outrage especially when the media promotes these emotions. Listening to all sides arguing I hear a lot of what used to be called FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). The fact remains people were killed and many were injured. Other people acted heroically according to the best of their natures.
We may never know what caused it yet it is strange, we live in a world where there are probably less acts of violence per year than at almost any other time. There is correspondingly more publicity and a lot more fear mongering when it happens. What in modern society seems to be encouraging people to think that the best way to make a statement is through violent means. There are specific questions in any given situation that most people will never hear the answer to. There are more important general questions about the real causes that desperately call out for asking.
Blessings, G
“Always ask yourself, why does this story matter? Ask and keep asking. And be as frank in your answer as all your courage will allow. When it comes to storytelling, life’s too short to waste it on stories that don’t matter.”
– Billy Marshall Stoneking.
I read the above and I feel a bit humbled. In my writing, I try to make what I say to people relevant. When I write of my past, I choose not only the stories I need to tell but the ones that I hope are meaningful, that matter. I know that a story that matters has life beyond the storyteller and in truth matters more than a storyteller ever can. Do I succeed? I don’t know. I’d rather stay unsure as overconfidence much like in parenting too often means failure.
Blessings, G
Energy Projection by G A Rosenberg
