‽istis ponders stories, again (weekending December 31st 2022)
This week ‽istis has again[i] pondered stories:
‽ super-natural/fantastical: the BBC ghost story; the Christmas Story?
· in ‘traditional’ nine lessons and carols
· in more modern and perhaps accessible forms and formats
· in live nativities for novelty
· in school nativities where there is just about a part for everyone (but perhaps parental bragging rights for Mary, solo verse singer etc.)?
· with or without much belief, reflection, critical analysis, rationality, relevance for today, outcome measurement of key elements: a Saviour has come, peace on earth, goodwill, etc, etc.
‽ stories told by families?
· to others in ‘round robins’ with news of offspring’s achievements, health (or otherwise in more or less detail), holidays, work, changes, moves, plans for the New Year, hopes expressed
· to each other about each other or ‘us’
· scripts and parts played out perhaps again, and again, and again; possibly functional or highly dysfunctional
‽ stories allegorical?
· in films and programmes watched this week:
o ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ perhaps[ii] an allegory for civil war in Ireland
o ‘I Came By’[iii] possibly an allegory about class, elitism, patriarchy, private education, paternal abuse, British history, Empire, slavery, hypocrisy, hubris, entitlement, power?
o ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’[iv] (thank you Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler) maybe an allegory about love, about non-sectarianism, about co-operation, about crossing boundaries, about righting the wrongs of the ending of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’
‽ stories to teach or to educate
‽ stories of resilience or vulnerability
‽ stories to justify and maintain war and conflict, division and hatred
‽ stories to influence and indoctrinate
‽ stories to warn, to frighten or deter
‽ stories to protect, distract or forget
‽ stories of trauma, stories to hurt, embarrass or shame
‽ stories of nurture, stories to heal
‽ stories to claim or proclaim a voice, a perspective
‽ stories to conserve or progress
‽ stories about identity and heritage and tradition and culture
‽ stories that build ramps, stories that build steps; stories that put up dry stone walls, stories that put up styles
‽ stories to maintain power or speak ‘truth’ to power
‽ stories to sustain an illusion, stories delusional
‽ stories to challenge or discomfort
‽ stories to awaken, to call to a cause, to ‘incite a meeting to rebellion’[v]
‽ stories about change, transition, evolution or revolution, or stasis or stagnation, or digression, or transgression, or regression
‽ stories of judgement, of condemnation, of tolerance, of championing, of forgiveness
‽ stories to heal, to redeem
‽ stories to bring insight and revelation, to open eyes and ears and hearts and minds
‽ stories to inspire
‽ stories of growth, stories of sustainability, stories of diminishment
‽ stories of comfort or challenge
‽ stories to hide behind
‽ stories to parade and present with pride
‽ stories of crisis or acuteness
‽ stories of thriving, stories of declining
‽ stories about bravery, cowardice, of compliance, defiance, of strength, weakness
‽ stories to redress
‽ stories to close
‽ stories to reflect, represent, reveal
‽ stories that are fictional
‽ stories that are factual
‽ stories that are parables
‽ stories that are prophetic
…and on and on… and you might like to think of examples for each…
And, as the story that many ascribe to - about how time and dates are organised - moves a large proportion of the world from one New Year to another[vi], ‽istis wonders what stories you and I might receive, create and tell - to and about each other and ourselves, our pasts, presents and futures…
© ‽istis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. ‘Follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...
[i] See blog weekending August 15th 2022: https://pistisrec.blogspot.com/2020/08/pistis-reclaims-stories-weekending.html
[iii] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15083184/
[iv] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gncf
[v] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EMNDj_Ao3s
[vi] Other new years are available: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/11-cultures-that-dont-celebrate-new-years-day-on-jan-1/nsmaojbot
