Importance of storytelling

Today we were celebrating July 4^th – the US Independence day. While waiting for the fireworks show to begin, the kids asked me to tell them a story. Even before I could start, the younger one interrupted me with a question – "Why do we tell stories? And how do you know all the stories?" the question left me thinking for a long time. Today's blog is my attempt to answer the same question with inspirations from many great storytellers.

Recently, I had come across another alumni of my college. He has taken up a full time profession of being a story teller. At the same time, a lot of other colleagues have been stressing the importance of storytelling. What is storytelling and why is it so important?

Let's first understand what is a story? A story is an expression of an idea along with the situation that helps explain the idea in a better manner. The entire scenario is laid out in such a manner that the central idea is easily understood by listener or the reader. The perception and meaning of the same idea might change from one place to the other and also from time to the other. Thus creating differences in how one values the idea as compared to the other. Remember the readers of Jane Austen refer "gay" to happiness, while the readers today have a completely different meaning for the word. Similarly, when the food in the western countries is meant to be served in multiple courses as controlled by the chef, the food in India is served as a meal – allow the person eating to create his own taste.

In our day to day life we experience multiple transactions – whether in the market while buying something or dealing with others. Negotiations happen every moment, everywhere whether we talk to our children or our bosses. Each transaction is a business of its own capacity where something is exchanged causing gain to someone involved in the exchange. The tangible value of the transaction can be measured but how could we measure the intangible value? The intangible value differs in the perspective of the parties involved in the transaction as well the ones observing the same. The key to understanding the intangible value is understanding the psyche or the thought process of the parties involved. In order to understand the psyche of someone it is important to understand the ideas that form their belief. The belief is constructed using the stories that a person hears and grows up with.

We all tell stories to our kids. Sometimes as a bedtime story, sometimes to put our point across. Many times, we tell the same story to our kids. But none of the renditions are all the same. They differ as per our own understanding and our beliefs. It also reflects what happens in our background. These are the stories that stay with our kids too when they grow up. In a large manner, these stories shape them up as well. Thus, the responsibility to make the next generation "good" lies on us.

Tell the right story, tell the right meaning and also appreciate that there might be other possible renditions as well.