someone
else’s
shoes
That’s the power of story… we can
step into someone else’s shoes
and come out understanding
ourselves better. Pastor and
storyteller Christine Redwood
explores why stories matter.
When I was a teenager, I remember leaving the cinema,
my face stained with tears and thinking stories are
powerful. I had that same feeling recently when I watched
a performance called Black Ties. It’s a play that explores the
tensions and joys of bringing two families together from different
cultural backgrounds as a Maori woman and an Aboriginal man plan
to marry. In the second act, the hall is transformed into a wedding
reception. We were invited to sit at one of the tables as if we were
a guest at this make-believe wedding. Some of the actors joined
us at the tables and together we celebrated. The lines blurred
between what was real and what was imagined. Yet in the end,
this immersive way of telling the story created a space for us to
experience the joy and power of reconciliation with a depth we
couldn’t have had from just hearing the facts.
I was once again reminded of how compelling stories are,
and why they matter. They speak to us in a language beyond
facts or abstract concepts, for instance about reconciliation,
and invite us to enter someone else’s world. I think we know
this instinctively. How often do we share stories in conversation
with friends or reminisce about our shared stories from the past?
It is often through story that we can make sense of our lives.
Seeing ourselves on screen or in books helps us to understand,
navigate or validate our experience.
resonate · issue 35 · page 3