When I hear the word “stories” I have a number of ideas that pop into my head. As a kid telling stories was a euphemism for telling a lie, probably because the facts were invented. I generally think of a story as a work of fiction, usually shorter than a novel. That may have some unrecognized connection to the term “news story”. That has become the foundation for Fake News.
While driving through the Choctaw nation I saw it used in a ad campaign plastered along the highway. The complete phrase was,
Our stories make us more
It didn’t grab me. I kept seeing it and it kept not grabbing me. It was cute but little more than a clever way of saying “We are not doing much with out lives.” I would like to ask, “More what?” Can it be measured? “More” means compared to something. If everyone has a story and every story makes us more than we are still standing in line waiting for life to reward us in a way that can’t be defined.
I accept the point that we are all created in the image of God and because of that have unique worth. We have rights, clearly stated in the Bill of Rights and a government that is supposed to guarantee that we have them. Beyond that it is what we build with what we have.
No, our stories don’t make us more. We make our stories which make us more. There is a difference that demands hard work as opposed to a welfare check.
I hope that people will get beyond empty headed promises and find real purpose.
homo unius libri
Monday, June 2, 2025
Opus 2025-277: Stories
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.