Story or No Story – Is That The Situation?

Comments

6 responses to “Story or No Story – Is That The Situation?”

1. 

   March 16, 2017

   Sam

   Makes sense to me! Some meetings are just talk-fests but usually they are the ones without clear purpose.

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   1. 

      March 16, 2017

      Kate Lawrence

      Yes, purpose, and good chairing/facilitation make all the difference to the effectiveness and enjoyability of a meeting. And unless I’m interested in the purpose and outcome of a meeting I am also probably thinking, ‘bloody talk fest’. But I am heartened by a firm belief that we are full of contradictions!

      Reply
2. 

   March 16, 2017

   Fionnuala

   Very interesting, thanks Kate. Before it was hijacked to only mean ‘logic’ the Ancient Greek word used in John’s gospel -λόγος – had many meanings including ‘word’. It also meant ‘expectation’, ‘ground’ and lots more. The essence of the meaning as John uses it – I believe – is that nothing exists in the reality of this world without first existing in the ethers – call it imagination, expectation, energy, whatever you like. Fits rather well with where, Kate, you say, ‘We can’t do anything unless we imagine it first’, don’t you think?

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   1. 

      March 16, 2017

      Kate Lawrence

      Totally fits, now on to your much trickier other comment!

      Reply
3. 

   March 16, 2017

   Fionnuala

   A question for consideration – if one is born unable to hear or speak and does not learn to read – is one without story?

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   1. 

      March 16, 2017

      Kate Lawrence

      This is a really interesting question, and my short answer is I don’t know. The longer musings are:
      I once mentioned my ‘story/no story’ theory in a group discussion and a woman took a strongly opposing view, saying that people with various mental illnesses do not fit either of these categories. I was not convinced, thinking that the stories and mean-making of a person with a mental illness are different from the norm, but not an alternate state. This of course is a little different from your example. Your idea makes me think of my ponderings about animals and whether they have ‘story’. Often people say that storytelling is a uniquely human experience, but I think of an animal that has learned something, like when its time for a walk, or when they are in trouble, and is there not some level of storying happening there, or is routine/habit/expectation something different?
      This of course leads to the question, the hoary chestnut of what is a story.
      But I have claimed in my blog, that without words we have no story. For your example, I think perhaps that interactions and communications with other people would enable storying. The more extreme and harder example to decide might be a person who has never lived with another human and therefore has no language. Would they, do they, invent a language of their own so they can story? And would someone who was unable to hard or speak do the same thing, creating a language of a kind?
      Perhaps a conversation to be continued tomorrow at Fabled Nights in Newport?
      But now I think I’ll have a little lie down….

      Reply