Tell The Story, Again

AUG. 18, 1980, 6:25 AM
W. WILLOW, STUDY

You know the essence of your new task, o son, but you don’t seem to be able to keep it in focus. I have told you often enough, led you back to Bob Brown’s paper (the result of My leading him in the same direction), led you to Father Shea’s tapes… and yet as you talk about this Study ahead I just don’t hear “Tell the story” very often. You’re going to have to improve on this.

I didn’t identify it as such, but the teaching I called Matthew’s Dilemma was an important example of the juxtaposition of stories. It was essentially a story of your 16 year old son and his parents, but intertwined with this were stories of Me and My relations with parents and the Disciple Matthew and his similar dilemma. It wasn’t a pure story, but it was far from a statement of principles and foundations. I urged you to choose it to read to George and Ann yesterday, but I was disappointed that you didn’t identify it as the sort of thing Bob was talking about. Too bad… but there will be a “next time”.

Keep this in mind as you write the article for Again. Give it a story quality, and let your paper advocate this, along with the unifying dimension theme.

Let Me also remind you again to write down your own story. Put that on your revised list.

You have never been properly impressed with your “story” definition of health, composed on your last sabbatical. You should be, for that is excellent. You should memorize it, use it regularly, and have learners develop their own versions. The results of this would make an important “story” article.

Stories have the unique capacity to bring down any guards people may have against being taught new principles or fresh truths. Stories seduce a hearer into identifying with what is being told, the best climate for having the ideas mesh with her own story.

One of the things you can work on in the context of Our Study (the capitals are increasing!) is having selected students tell their own stories to you… a way for you to learn more about them and for them to learn, each, about self. Once a person has told his story it is easier the next time… and each time thereafter.

Stories are one of the good ways of bringing about intergenerational communication. You noticed Matthew’s response yesterday to stories you and George were telling. You also had the uncomfortable realization that some of the memorable stories of life are those involving danger, risk, and “doing what you’re not supposed to”. If children obeyed their parents perfectly they might have no stories to tell, later in life. That’s a truth to ponder. But how does it translate into parental behavior? That’s a story in itself.