“Lucas, that’s just a story.” Parents still commonly use this kind of gentle correction to deal with impure, but the approach is very different. Some parents prefer phrases like “What happened at all” and “Let’s stick to the facts.”
Meanwhile, we tell stories to our children. The best moral thing: “Three Little Pigs” shows that, like the construction of a sturdy house, take time to do better things correctly and carefully than quick and careless work . “The Boy Who Cryed the Wolf” – The importance of integrity and the ability to lie to people who don’t believe you when you’re telling the truth.
Grimm’s fairy tales were intended to teach children life lessons rather than scaring them. Due to parental concerns, they softened over time. In the original version of “Cinderella,” the step-sister cuts out a portion of her legs and matches it with glass slippers, and the bird closes her eyes at the wedding. The consequences of a deception are serious. The latest version omits graphics details. The truth should be happy now. Shell Silverstein’s “where the sidewalk ends” is ostensibly about using your imagination and seeing the world differently, but it can easily be ranked 8th in the classic Seven Habits of Very Successful People.
It’s not easy to think of a good story that doesn’t have good morals. Famous essayist Joan Didion said, “We live by telling ourselves stories.” We become and tell the story we are being told.
The true meaning of Didion is almost the opposite of the uplifting quotes about the power of storytelling. For her, “Storytelling is the problem,” Didion is very dark and skeptical. In the context, she writes about the chaotic events of the late 1960s: the Manson murder, the Black Panthers, and the struggle to understand the social upheavals of generality. Humans desperately impose narrative order on random events, and try to find morality in every story. “We look for suicide sermons for the social or moral lessons of murder. We interpret what we see and choose the most viable of multiple options. “The need to create a consistent story can blind us to a world that resists explanation.
Nietzsche said: Find what they want. ” His insights respond to Didion’s skepticism about our obsession with constructing meaning. This crucial quest for interpretation reminds us of another image Nietzsche had thought of many things: Jesus, usually respected by philosophers (saving his wrath for St. Paul). The disciples frequently asked Jesus what he meant in the parable. What is the point? Jesus said that’s right Point: Some people don’t understand it because he is intentionally ambiguous. God’s judo?
Jesus was provoked and not prescribed. He poses mystery rather than answers. “Who is your neighbor?” he asks, leaving you to tackle the shame of the Samaritan Savior. He ordered love rather than obedience, offered path rather than ceremony, and encouraged action against respectful words. He wasn’t the solution, not the way you requested to think, after that Live. “Not all who say ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father. ”
Behind all morals is a story. In our time, what truly threatens democracy is not Donald Trump, not fanatic certainty, but also not just his supporters, but also ours at times. We turn to the opposite comfort of doubt: “the darkest before dawn,” “everything happens for reasons.” “God never gives us more than we can handle.” “They must first hurt them before they can get better” (Elon Musk). “This will pass too.”
I would like to encourage a story of encouragement that will allow the problem to be viewed positively. I was disappointed at the end of Ernest Hemingway’s notable novel, The sun is also rising. The ending is particularly touching as it captures the themes of a novel of post-war disillusionment and impossible love. The reaction to the closing of the main character, Jake Burns, is ironic. The wounds of his war had created a physical relationship with Brett. The final line is a conversation between Jake and his lover.
“Yeah, Jake,” Brett said.
Above was a police officer attached to the traffic of Director Khaki. He raised the baton. The car suddenly slowed down and pushed Brett against me.
“Yes,” I said.
I will never forget the futileness of the home regarding what happened. Have you been told anything more? Is that a conclusion? Part of the story was very beautiful.
Like the best stories, faith is true when it is least expected. So Hemingway aside, sometimes the right thing ends. . . Fortunately.
Notes and reading
Joan Didion – White album (1979), 11-12.
“When you don’t understand someone…” [Abridged]. Nietzsche does not use this exact phrase About the genealogy of morality and Beyond good and evil, He emphasizes interpreting human behavior by revealing hidden power dynamics rather than relying solely on explicit meaning or intention.
Jesus – “I haven’t seen it, but I don’t perceive it…” Matthew 13:14, cf. Isaiah 6:9; Good Samaritans, Luke 10:25-37.
Ernest Hemingway – “Great under pressure” For whom;Jake and Brett, The sun is rising toothe last sentence.
Also,
Five basic stories that shaped American history and infuse the current discord. – Big obstacles: National myths and the battle for America Richard Slotkin (National Book Award). Slotkin is a cultural critic and historian. He is Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University (Connecticut).
“Why a book for children?” – Different way of looking at the story from a different angle. – Katherine Landell, London book reviews (February 2025). Of course, fantasy is a fugitive. “If we are partisans of freedom, it is our escape and it is our obvious duty to take as many people as possible.” (Tolkien) Rundell is the author of. Impossible creaturescalled Waterstones Book of the Year in 2023.
#184- A democratic miracle
#183- Passion for democracy
Approx. 2 + 2 = 5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
