Why do people share stories?
Generations of people constantly pass down stories, each time changing small details so the story will be more interesting or so people can understand the moral of the story better.
“That’s what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future.” (O’Brien: The Things They Carried; pg 36)
In English class, I have been required to read a book called The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. This book is filled with war stories from the soldiers in the Vietnam war and emphasizes the fact of how important sharing these war stories are to them. Some soldiers really want the listeners to understand the moral of the story or to believe everything that is said, no matter how crazy the truth sounds. It is said a couple times in the book that the stories you would expect from war are not always the truth, but the craziest stories are the ones that are the most truthful.
“Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can’t remember how you got from where you were to where you are.” (O’Brien: The Things They Carried; pg 36)
Stories tell history. Mostly every fictional, non fictional, fairy tale, etc., has history behind it. The book, The Forgotten Garden, has a character who loves to write fairy tales and she bases her fairy tales off of her life experiences. History books are stories of the past and remind us what not to repeat in the future. They carry morals too, such as not having a tyrant as a leader or what to expect when certain events happen like war.
“Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.” (O’Brien: The Things They Carried; pg 36)
When someone shares their story, we come to understand their point of view better, what hard ships they must have faced, or how lucky they were. For example, the pod cast called Freakanomics had the President of Harvard as their guest and they asked her questions regarding her background and what troubled her growing up. By the President of Harvard sharing her story of success through life, she could have also inspired others to work harder in life to reach their goals. Stories inspire people, stories have morals, stories effect society.
Without stories, how would we know what went on in the past and what not to repeat. The world needs stories, just like the world needs water.
I think sharing stories is important because it helps society grow and learn. All stories benefit at least someone, whether it be a sad story, a happy one, or an inspirational one. Everyone interprets stories differently, but the over all moral stays the same. The great thing about stories is that people are able to see the speakers vision.
“Yes, and I wanted him not just to tell stories, but to be a storyteller, one able to explain his vision in a way that allowed everyone who worked with him, from the boardroom to the mail room, to feel and live his vision.” (Clemson Turregona; leadingeffectively.com)
The Walking Culinary Horror story 