“Stories are a communal currency of humanity,” quoted Tahir Shah in ‘In Arabian Nights’.
There were days when almost everyone’s childhood consisted of hearing stories from parents or grandparents. Something that helped our ancestors spark a bond between each other, and is one of the main reasons behind the existence of
humans, is not getting enough space in the lives of people, all thanks to today’s toxic hustle culture. Yes, we are talking about stories and storytelling, one of the most important sources of not just entertainment, but education too. Stories are being told since time immemorial, even before humans knew how to read and write.
Stories are one of the most crucial parts of our being, playing a huge role in determining who we are as a person. The digital age we’re living in may appear to threaten the existence of stories, but the truth is, stories have always been and will always be essential because of their innumerable contributions to the human race. We all have received our first moral education lesson not in classrooms, but from our grandparents or parents, all through the means of stories. The tales of Panchtantra, Vikram and Betaal's adventures, and Birbal's intelligence have far more importance in shaping our lives than we think. Imagine a situation where you are working hard in your office, feeling exhausted. Now, a colleague comes to you and tells a famous folktale from his village, and amidst all the chaos, your imagination has taken you where the story is set. You feel a lot better.
This is exactly how therapeutic stories and storytelling are.
Their ability to transport a person to a completely different world, is quite comforting for our souls. It is surprising how we can feel emotionally drawn towards a person who lived centuries ago, all through the means of stories. They help people to cope up with their problems and by setting up examples, they help us become a better human. They help us in discovering who we are, as well as others. The fact that most of our history books state things that are extracted from books written in that era and how all our festivals have certain stories related to them prove how great a tool stories and storytelling are when it comes to understanding our history and cultural preservation. There is a lot of research conducted on the benefits of stories and storytelling, and almost all of them prove how beneficial they are for us health wise, too. Some of them have even linked stories to longer life expectancy.
No matter what the advancements in technology come up with, stories and storytelling will continue to inspire people from different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds, and even unifying them. Like Joan Didion said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Saying that stories can change lives and individuals, by no means is a hyperbole. If there's something where the power to liberate you and connect you at the same time lies, it's in stories and storytelling.
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