Poison and Storytelling

Kavala, Greece where it was believed Zeus controlled lightning

Humans shared stories before they understood what caused lightning, earthquakes and floods—even before the advent of Democrats and Republicans or Madison Avenue’s attempts to brand everything they would have us cherish.  In other words, there are many purposes to telling a story.  The more altruistic style of storytelling hands down a people’s history, an understanding of their world and how to live in it; then there are stories intended to sell something like a particular flavor of politics or of toothpaste.

There is an art to storytelling, and there is a level of proficiency required to get the most out of a story.  First we must understand the fundamental elements of a story and then we must identify the story’s relevance to us.  That is not to say, however, that the listener’s proficiency is at fault.  More often than not, the storyteller has failed.

A talented storyteller understands that a narrative builds suspense through chronology—first this happened, and then that happened which caused this to happen…  Often the suspense is enough of a hook to keep the audience enthralled, but if they also understand the tale’s relevance to their own lives, they are compelled to take the story to heart, to retell it themselves, to attach a higher meaning or moral to the telling.

So to simplify, a good story must have a narrative and must connect the story to its audience in some way.  As listeners, our task is to grasp the events, steps or layers in the chronology and to seek the answer to the question, “So what?  What does that have to do with me?”

A simple example: 

There was a guy in a bar, holding his head and staring at his drink for a long time.  A tough looking dude strolls over and, in a mischievous instant, snatches the glass and drains it.  The man at the bar begins to cry.  The tough says, “Come on man, I was just fooling with you.  I’ll buy you another drink.  Just stop crying.”

“No, it’s not that,” laments the man.  “This is the worst day in my life.  First, I ran over my cat on the way to work.  That made me late and my boss fired me.  While I was inside the office, my car was stolen so I called a cab where I left my wallet.  At home I found my wife in bed with our dentist and ran out of the house to this bar.  And just when I had screwed up the courage to put an end to my life, you show up and drink all my poison.”

Here we have an example of a story, really a popular bar joke, but a story nevertheless—with a narrative and events that could befall any of us plus the power of humor to connect the storyteller to the audience.

I hope you enjoy this blog as it unfolds.  I intend to explore storytelling in all its glory-- the good, bad and ugly.  I would like to understand how stories help us and how to avoid the hurt they can inflict. With any luck, I’ll learn to tell good stories.