Читать книгу Start & Run a Personal History Business - Jennifer Campbell - Страница 9

Why is a life story a priceless gift for families, and for the storyteller? The world of personal histories is all about story, so let’s start with one:

One day, an anthropologist who was staying with and studying a primitive African tribe wanted to see what effect a television would have on the society, so he brought one into the village and hooked it up. People gathered around the TV day and night, staring in wonder. But after a few days, they drifted away and took up their regular daily routines again and largely ignored the talking box.

The anthropologist was puzzled.

“Aren’t you interested in the TV?” he asked.

A tribesman said, “Yes, it’s very nice, but you see, we have our own storyteller.”

“Yes,” said the anthropologist, “but the TV knows many more stories than your storyteller.”

“That may be true,” said the tribesman, “but our storyteller knows us.”

Though the term “personal history” may be relatively new, it is really an extension of an ancient tradition of telling — and listening to — stories of our “tribes”: those closest to us. Those are the stories that resonate the loudest because they tell us where we’ve come from and help us understand ourselves. They provide context, connection, and continuity in a world that is increasingly busy and disconnected.

Storytelling is in our souls. For thousands of years, the elders of a family or society have used stories to teach, entertain, pass along wisdom, explain the world, share joy and heartache, and to preserve the history of the society, which was sometimes necessary for survival. Cave dwellers carved pictures of the hunt, and Egyptians saved recipes with hieroglyphics. Graffiti is the modern-day equivalent of “Kilroy was here.” As cavemen, we used to share stories sitting around the fire. More recently, we’d sit around the supper table, and not that long ago, it was common to have three generations living together. Our society is in danger of losing the passing along of wisdom and experiences from generations. As well, because of the distractions of computers, TVs, and video games, we’re a much more mobile and fractured society. People move away, parents divorce, and grandparents may not have the opportunity to verbally pass along family traditions, wisdom, and experience.