tell them a story (Matthew Kelly)

 Matthew Kelly, Rediscover catholictism, [2010] 

Rediscover catholictism: a spiritual guide to living with passion & purpose, 2010

pp.130─131

To whom does the future belong?  What will our society be like 20, 50, or 100 years from today?

   The most powerful and influential position in any society is that of the story teller.  Story tellers are not just the mythical cultural icon who dress up on Thursday afternoons and read stories to your children in local libraries and bookstores.  Musicians are story tellers.  Teachers, preachers, nurses, lawyers, priests, scientists, salespeople, artists, mothers, fathers, poets, philosophers, brothers, sisters, babysitters, grandparents ... we are all storytellers. 

   The future belongs to the storytellers and it belongs to us.  What will it be like?  Well, that depends very much on the stories we tell, the stories we listen to, and the stories we live. 

   Stories have a remarkable ability to cut through the clutter and confusion and bring clarity to our hearts and minds.  Stories remind us of our hopes, values, and dreams.  They sneak beyond the barriers of our prejudices to soften our hearts to receive the truth.  Great periods in  history emerge when great stories are told and lived.  Stories are history that form the future; they are prophecies set in the past. 

   Never underestimate the importance of stories.  They play a crucial role in the life of a person and in the life of a society.  They are as essential as the air we breathe and the water we drink.  Stories captivate our imaginations, enchant our minds, and empower our spirits.  They introduce us to whom we are and who are capable of beings.  Stories change our lives. 

   If you wish to poison a nation, poison the stories that nation listens to.  If you wish to win people over to your team or to your point of view, do not go to war or argue with them ── tell them a story. 

   All great leaders understand the persuasive and inspirational power of stories.  When did you last hear a great speech that didn't contain a story?

   A story can do anything:  win a war, lose a war, heal the sick, encourage the discouraged, comfort the oppressed, inspire a revolution, transform an enemy into a friend, elevate the consciousness of the people, build empires, inspire love, even reshape the spiritual temperament of a whole age. 

   65 per cent of the Gospels are stories, or parables.  100 per cent of the Gospels is the story of Jesus Christ ── and it is the most influenctial story over told.

   The future belongs to the story tellers, and we are the story tellers.  What type of stories are we telling?  Because I can promise you with absolute certitude that the stories we tell today are forming the future. 

‘’•─“”

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πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ,ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ,ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα