"He who tells the best story wins," said Anthony Hopkins as John Quincey Adams in the movie, "Amistad" when seeking to get to the heart of the case of the captured slaves caught at sea aboard the Amistad. "What's their story? We know what they are but we do not know who they are." From this moment, the case takes a turn.
Storytelling is essential to listening and receiving, to creating and selling. Storytelling is how we best communicate, personally and professionally.
But the winning aspect spoken of above could be a double-edge sword in that eloquence of speech could supersede or suppress truth. While storytelling is essential, there also needs to be honesty and sincerity. Can truth speak out in the midst of eloquence? Can truth come through?
2 comments:
Story telling is essential to human
life and needed. Especially in the
immigrant [past & present]community. However, it is also
true that a "smooth talker" can
minipulate a crowd with the turn
of his/her tongue. So, I guess we
all must keep our own council to
some extent, or learn to become discerning listeners.
That said, a good story can make
one's day and sometimes change
a person's life.
Thanks for making me think Judith.
Indeed, Cynthia. To "keep our own council to some extent or learn to become discerning listeners" is so very important. Thanks for that. Stories are about words and words matter. I think we can often tell a smooth talker when we hear one. I tend to listen to everyone with unfettered thought initially; even after I have come to know one I continue to look for the better and not the lesser, though often being fully aware of both.
My mother used to be amazed at my ability to continuously start afresh with people. Others have started so with me. Believe me. I was most outspoken as a child and young adult, though not often disrespectful. The decision to accept others I came to live by very early on in life. This was partially because I was always so interested in people. I listened to everybody, seeking to understand their stories intimately. Listening is so very important. We are always telling story with our words, faces and bodies. The latter things are most essential in storytelling and missing in internet social networks.
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