Saturday, November 20, 2021

Be An Author Challenge (Part 13) – The Essence of Sharing A Story


Let’s go back to the basis. What is the essence of sharing a story? Obviously, it would be for people to learn from it. But, there could be other reasons. Studies have shown that people who share stories bond more with other people. Oprah, the popular TV host, said she started connecting more with people after sharing her story. This means story-telling allows us to bond with other people. When we share story, we release oxytocin, a hormone that bonds us with other people. Be that as it may, that’s just the physiological aspect of it. But there is also psychological aspect of it. We’ll come back to that later. Let’s look again at the essence of sharing a story. If we share a story, we want people to hear us out and learn from whatever we are sharing with them.

Sharing a story can range from sharing something personal to us to something general. It could be about our life, experience, situations, profession, ideas, lifestyle, family, work, projects and so on. When we share story, we feel the emotions and energy that come from it. We feel the moment and memories. And everything comes back to life as though it happened few hours ago.

We also feel relieved and at ease, and we love to hear what people would have to say about our story. We love the feeling and satisfaction that comes from people responding to our story and learning from it. And we also love to hear other people’s stories too, especially when they’re related to ours.

We humans are basically the same when it comes to this instinct— ability to tell and share stories. We always love to share our stories, especially with our loved ones. Even for those who are shy among us, they still feel comfortable sharing their stories with their loved ones, the people they are most comfortable with.

For over 100,000 years we’ve been sharing stories. And there’s no sight of stopping yet. We’ll continue to do it till eternity. Stories have been one of the ways we’ve been able to communicate and share our values, thoughts, ideas, cultures, traditions and so on to our children and children’s children.

Stories have made spreading ideas easy. They have made connections, bonding and communications among us possible and the ability to agree on one course and follow it to the end. As humans, we’ve been able to set big goals, launch great ideas, do mighty things, and conquer the earth, thanks to stories. We have also built societies, strong institutions and organizations because of our ability to share and believe stories. Religion, economy, governments, politics, empires, businesses, and so on have also risen because of this singular phenomenon.

But why does story have this much grip on us humans? Why are we humans so addictive or obsessive with stories? If I may ask you now to tell me your greatest belief, it would be hinged on a particular story. There is no belief without a story. Every belief stems from a story. And so to break any belief, you must tell another story — that is rather stronger and better than the previous.

The power of story on us humans is unimaginable and hardly quantifiable. The acts are so subtle, but the effects are so enormous. It’s pretty much like pressing a small button on an airplane that could create an effect that a thousand people cannot perform.

Perhaps some of the things that we go through right now and the experiences that we have could be because of some stories that we’ve sometimes heard and have subconsciously believed.

When we share our story, we feel more connected with people and become more humane. We feel more empathy and sympathy. And depending on the story, it could really allow us to be more loving, supportive, sympathetic, amiable and so on for other humans.

On the other hand, there are some stories that we are not comfortable to share. Maybe because of how sensitive, personal or generally unacceptable they are. But not telling them could be eating us up. We may be feeling regrets and unease inside. But you know what, go ahead and tell that story! Find someone you trust and let out the story. I know initially it might be so terrifying, but if you can summon courage to just say it, you will be free. 

Oprah was not afraid to tell her story. Joyce Meyer, Lady Gaga and many more who were victims of sexual assaults and other circumstances were not afraid to share their stories. Though they struggled for many years, but the moment they let it out, they were free. And many people appreciated them for this. 

So go ahead and share your story. The story you share is the one that benefits people. The one you don’t share remains unappreciated and sometimes could be a burden in your heart. Share your story today and you will be happy you did. I see you making impact in your world because of your story. Cheers!

If you have any questions, write to bookminds247@gmail.com or Instagram @ so_piens.



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