Do We Really Need a New Story?
April 30th, 2013
Adult male Sulawesi Myzomela
The idea that humanity needs a ‘new story’ has been around for some time. And in its train comes the search for it, and the frustration of perhaps not finding it. While the idea has an appeal, particularly if you enjoy and know of story’s power to transform, here is something to consider: that what we need really is not a new story, but no stories any more! Watch this brief and crystal clear explanation by Thomas Hubl:
9 Responses to “Do We Really Need a New Story?”
Really interesting storyteller; how was it again ? “Nobody walks into the same river for a second time?”
We have to be careful here, I know there is tendency to grasp at this elusive present moment and underestimate the past. The sweet dew from the World Tree gathered in the leaves and spread over the valley, this dew was collected and symbolised (for those following the old customs) our experiences and memories – this dew was collected in a well, called the well of wisdom. Which in turn fed the roots of the tree of the flowering tree, which we can say is the present state – the flowering. But the future is the reaching, the mind that is reaching and growing and the past grown out of the roots. I know this is presented as old women’s tales now, and we need to “free” ourselves and live in the present, but wisdom is held there, and whatever happens to anyone’s life, we all know the past will be our home, that where we all end up. I would not underestimate the old stories and would suggest we learnt them first before we brush them aside.
Bravo Andreas! More and more it seems to me that opposites need to be accepted, so that one can say ‘yes to no more stories! And yes to more (and new) stories!’ And I love this image of sweet dew….:)
Thanks Philip, yes agreed, the middle way. We grew out of the past, we flower in the present and then we reach for a future. The reaching, the longing. The past accumulates also a certain spiritual debt to those who have worked for us to be here today, a grandfather and grandmother, and many suffered a great deal. The honouring, and the respect feels old fashioned to many, but there is a wisdom to be plucked from the old heather, and repaid hopefully with our own sacrifices to future generations.
When I listened to this I was reminded of something I read in a book called “This matter of culture” written by Krishnamurti, I was about 16 or 17 at the time, which is nearly 50 ago, so I hope my recollection is accurate because it made a big impression on me at the time. He talked about a rose, and how we carry the “idea” of the rose in our head and how, because it is labeled and named, we no longer see it afresh. I looked at lots of “roses” that year.
When I was studying in the Bardic grade I looked at communication and thoughts and assumption. I realised that I assumed a lot of things, mainly because I used stereotypes to quickly label things and “get a grasp” on things. I hung on the words of stories but I remembered Krishnamurti then too. I came to the conclusion that assumptions are a barrier to creativity.
I think there are echos here of that train of thought. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti)
“Core of the Teaching”. An excerpt follows:
“‘Truth is a pathless land’. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, nor through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation, and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a sense of security—religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these dominates man’s thinking, relationships and his daily life. These are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man in every relationship.”[90]
Briefly I think that story is part of the human condition – important, carriers of wisdom, seeds of wisdom, but I like to hear them as a starting point not a conclusion. And yes the image of the tree and the dew is so wonderful.
I really enjoyed what he shared and also good to get out of any ‘boxes’,,,,,but ‘stories’ will always be around, maybe we need a new word to expand on this, what would the word be? Shakespeare made new words …we could be open to new words to express a completely new awareness….. but based on what has always been, that which can never be other than the original TRUTH. Stories , good stories are told to help us remember the original TRUTH that inside calls us Home.
Thanks for posting this Philip
‘Never be afraid to find new expression for the old truth, but know the old truth first’. I think this idea is echoed in the responses so far. Just as we seek the force behind the form, just so the wisdom in the narrative that can sometimes only be suggested and alluded to, not spoken directly. Poetry can be another way to express in this way. We can grasp complex ideas today perhaps more readily than before so some forms of story are not so necessary yet so there are still others that are. Good stories entertain and enthrall whilst making their point, as do good songs and poetry. Is there still room for good analogue in a digital world ?? I hope so.
Thank you Philip…Thomas is a beautiful person But, I think one of the greatest assets man has held onto is story telling. It stimulates, motivates (and so on) in good and bad forms. To live life is a very sacred proccess that most of us forget how to do, so yes live life, create new stories, you might not need to hear it but others do – I am not an academic (gosh really!) but the older I get the more i love philosophy like this, it makes me feel alive – like I have learnt a lesson (even if I don’t agree sometimes) – Instead of new words, would it not be better to teach new generations at school level that philiosophy and discussion is good and the importance in living life and leaving the parts of the planet you have graced a better place for future generations…I don’t like the word pioneer, yes they lived their life with big adventures but they ended lots too. We need to look back to know where we are going – to me stories should be little acorns that spur you on to create/nuture great big beautiful Oak trees. x (hope this made sense…)
Beltane Blessings by the way!
It is the crafted key
That which may we
Witness the turning of
Life’s polarity
Oh life’s lusty lover!
Story of true purity.
It is the path
A carpet of red
That which brings to life and
Raises the dead
Sunlit blessed
Soul to soil
Moon struck inspirer where
Storyteller and
Llistener are
Uniquely One in
Personal Timeless Truth
Comments are closed.