The Power of Story

I saw a video today of 3 women lashing out at the legislature in Arizona who were passing an ordinance requiring masks.  These women hurled insults at the panel and in their rage I could also hear their shared story. Their story was – you can’t trust the government and the population is being brainwashed.  To wear a mask was to be a sheep.

 

I’ve heard that to replace one story in the brain, facts don’t work. The only thing that can replace a story is another stronger story. Stories are powerful.  They organize our perceptions and are the filter we use to make sense of daily life.  I was struck today at how different these stories are from my own.  But if they were my story, I’d probably feel that same as these women.

Earlier this week I posted a call on Facebook to my local garden swap group.  It seemed like a long shot but, “did anyone have any extra swiss chard?”  Not only did someone reply, but she only lived a few blocks away.  I offered her a packet of dill seed that I’d been given but had never used.  Amazingly, she needed dill seed as her crop didn’t take. 

I rode my bike over and we passed our gifts to each other.  My interactions with facebook strangers tell a wonderful story – people are generous and kind.  This isn’t always true, of course, but it has been true for me. 

Can we learn to hear each other’s stories, especially those from different racial or class groups?  If we could hear each other’s stories, we could build empathy and a deeper understanding of the narratives that both reflect our experiences and create our worldview. 

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