I
t’s all so overwhelming and it seems everyone is tired, discouraged, maybe angry or cynical or depressed, maybe confused or disheartened…just weary.
Each day during this April A-Z Blogging Challenge I’ll offer a short musing on an aspect or two of the many ways the ancient-yet-very-contemporary experience of storytelling – both listening and telling – is an enjoyable, fortifying and heart-lifting practice, for anyone!
Q – Storytelling Presents QUESTIONS
There was once a young Jewish man who was a student of Torah who seemed to study day and night, night and day.
One moonlit night, the townspeople’s sleep was suddenly disturbed by sounds out in the street. They threw open their doors and stuck their heads out of windows to see what the source was – It was the studious young man, pacing up and down the street, shouting loudly in frustration:
“I can’t go on! I can’t! Not until I get an answer – What is the meaning of it all, what is the meaning of life?!!”
And on and on he went.
The people began calling out of their houses to him: “Go see the rabbi! Go ask the rabbi!”
And, though it was the middle of the night, that’s what he did.
When he knocked on the rabbi’s door he was let in and shown to the study. Despite the dark hour, the rabbi was waiting for him, sitting in his chair on one side of the fireplace, and gestured for the young man to take the chair on the other side.
“So,” he said to the young man, “tell me why you are here.”
“Rabbi, I must know. I must have an answer! What is the meaning of life? ”
The rabbi looked into the fire. He stroked his beard. He took a deep breath. He stood up, walked the few steps to the young man, raised his right hand high…
…and slapped his cheek!
In more astonishment than in any kind of pain, the young man looked at him. “Rabbi?!”
“My dear young man, don’t be a fool. You have a perfectly good QUESTION – Why trade it in for an answer?”
—
It could be said that in some way answers bring a halt, stop forward motion or continued thinking or reflection – while QUESTIONS lead us, move us forward, draw us into deeper exploration or consideration…
QUESTIONS lead us on quests!
Storytelling brings listeners along on the story’s journey – quest! – and very often prompts QUESTIONS in the listener’s mind that can
pique curiosity- engage interest
- offer intriguing mysteries to explore
- make us cock our heads like the cute doggies in these photos and think, “Hmm, I wonder…!”
Why trade in a perfectly good QUESTION that piques and engages and explores?!
This is part of the delight and nourishment that’s part of the storytelling experience!
Thanks for reading – Pam
Top photo by Frederik Ohlander. Hebrew text photo by Mick Haupt. Chair+books photo by v2osk. Big-eared puppy photo by Brandon Cormier. All on Unsplash.
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