The Power of Stories in Connecting Human Experience

Study Notes

Rana Al-Mahameed has written about Aseel Obeidi, a man who owned a beautiful garden in all corners of the country.
The man was known for his grandiosity and owned a magnificent garden.
One evening, the man returned home to find a large group of children playing in his garden. He became angry and built a high wall around it to keep the children away.
Oscar Wilde wrote a story titled "The Selfish Giant" in 1888.
For over a hundred years, the man from Obeidi's childhood in Brooklyn lived in the same house and never left it. He grew up in a religious family and read both the Bible and the Quran.
The hours he spent reading, whether religious or for entertainment, led him to spend many hours watching TV instead.
In any given day, one could find him and his brothers huddled together, reading in one of the windows, observing the joy of their neighbors playing in the water during the summer in New York City, feeling their excitement seep in through the open windows.
However, the more he delved into his books, the more he felt isolated from the world, and he longed for human connection.
The Selfish Giant told the story of how the man, filled with regret over keeping children away from his garden, changed his ways and allowed them in, leading to a deeper understanding and connection with the world.
Centuries before the advent of technology, people shared ideas and memories through stories.
The Nile River story brought Egyptians together, and the story of preserving the dead took the Pharaoh's mummies into the 21st century.
People have shared stories in words, pictures, or music since ancient times, and these stories have been passed down through generations.
As technology advances, the way we consume stories changes, but the importance of connecting with the stories and the people they bring to life remains the same.
Reading, listening, or watching stories can help us understand the past, connect with the present, and imagine the future.
Before moving to Brooklyn, Aseel Obeidi's family lived in Greenfield, Carolina, in one of the secluded areas known as Nicotown.
They were a community of children who, despite their circumstances, held on to stories and the power they held.
Even in a dangerous situation, people cling to stories as a source of hope and connection.
Throughout history, stories have been layered upon each other, with stories within stories and stories within those stories.
Since we began communicating, we have used stories to connect with each other and make sense of the world around us.- The story began with the author reflecting on her own literacy journey and how her stories were deeper and older than she had initially realized.
Among those who seemed almost silent were people who had not learned to read at all. Their descendants, who had studied in colleges and universities, some resembled bookworms and history was almost a burden to them.
Some, like the author's ancestors, accepted the "Great Migration," not as a train but as an invitation to the South and embraced it with open arms.
Those who had left and those who had stayed, all carried their history with them. They learned that preserving their stories was not the only way to keep them alive, and they could sit at the way stations at the end of long days, on their thrones or doorsteps, and narrate their tales to their children.
They could tell their stories during the sweltering heat while working in the cotton fields and tobacco farms, and use their stories as cautionary tales in church and weave them into quilts. They turned many sorrowful stories into comical ones, revealing the history of their people who tried to reclaim their bodies and souls.
In her childhood, the author learned that imagining a hand touching her from word to word, from sentence to sentence, from ignorance to guidance. Therefore, she continued to read slowly, quieting the surrounding noise and remembering those who had come before her.
They were the first people to learn how to control fire and harnessed this new power of flame, light, and heat.
The wealthy landowners destroyed a wall, allowing children to roam freely in their gardens.
The ancestors, who were deprived of the ability to read, still gathered around the fire, dreaming of their hopes and imagining their futures.
Every time we read a story, write a story, or listen to a tale, we join this collective around the fire that remains constant.
The power of the story endures.
Thank you. (Applause)

Description

Explore the profound impact of stories on human connection, understanding, and imagination throughout history. Discover how stories have transcended time, place, and technological advancements to bring people together and enrich their lives.