The Value of Stories

Nation Building!

Part Two of the the examination of the value of a story.

How do stories contribute to the history of a nation and to the unity of the people in it. How does a collection of national stories contribute to how any nation sees itself as a people? A continued examination of stories will look at these questions.

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Stories have established their relationship to nation building through their ability to unite us. Every geopolitical area shares stories among their population. These stories help to unit them as a nation. They serve as a foundation for their common identity.

Previously in Part One we discussed how stories function between the teller and the listener. They helped to focus on shared commonalities. Stories in the family setting met the needs of the young for belonging. Stories bridged the wisdom gap between the generations and the goal setting that underlies success among those with economic differences.

In nation building, stories can serve two purposes. It can establish shared values among a diverse population. It can also enrich the shared society through the commonalities and introduction of a certain ethnic uniqueness.

We all come from somewhere. Stories go a long way in supporting a shared membership in a new national setting. The destruction of shared values and commonalities can also separate a society and diminish the sense of nationhood. Lack of cohesive story telling on the part of leaders and authority figures can create chaos and distrust in the minds of the followers. In terms of discrepancies, lack of a feeling of belonging and poor goal setting enhances separation and absence of group cohesion. When the story of the moment rambles and is incoherent, the listeners are rudderless and without direction.

We need stories that promote the intrinsic value of human capital and strength. Focusing on monetary outcomes in our narratives demeans the value of human life and interaction. What stories are we currently telling and who is telling them?

At the present moment, we are hearing stories of theft and misuse of power and lack of responsiveness and shirking of responsibility. These stories will be told for generations to come and throw shade, deserved or otherwise, on the characters within the stories.

They are not inspiring stories. They do not contribute to the goal of nation building. Some story tellers are consciously trying to tell stories of uplifting actions and express human values. These sources know the effect of stories and their longevity. These stories are non-competitive and timeless in their effect. They contribute to the unity of the nation, in good times and in bad.

The telling of stories always focuses on the leaving behind of something, be it evil or just outdated. In the vacuum left behind, it must be replaced with good and something new.

So what is the role of the story in nation building. It is a sign post and a road map. It tells us where we are. It tells us where we have come from. The story also has the power to point the way to where we can go from here.

Never underestimate the power of a story.

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A Place for the Eye to Rest does not seek to answer questions. Its purpose is to present places for the mind of the reader to jump off and consider the subject presented. Email us at karenmac1999@hotmail.com to share your story and thoughts. A sample story is presented on this blog. Search the list of previous blogs and open The Crystal and the Coal.