Here, in another of my Toastmasters speeches, I talk about the importance of fiction. “The Power of Stories” is a subject that’s dear to me, in this time when people only read how-to. Fiction makes us more empathetic, smarter, and creative. It makes us better people …
Albert Einstein was asked how to make children intelligent. He replied, “Read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
By intelligent, he meant beyond good grades and paychecks. He spoke of our becoming human beings, not merely human doings.
Imagine that in this video, my white sweater hood is red, that covering my head with it transforms me…
That an ordinary plastic bag is a wicker basket filled with fresh baked cinnamon rolls, and that when I hold my fingers to my lips, I’m licking the stickiness of honey. Under my feet, a forest of spicy pine needles and earthy wetness crunches to mingle with the sweet scents.
Imagine that beyond trees ahead, sound the yips of what might be new puppies that she’s adopted. The nearer we get, however, the more our skin tingles with panic.
Okay — a different scenario — when I rip paper into strips and place them before us on a pretend version of an oak table in an imaginary one-room log cabin, the scraps represent three sizes of bowls of porridge. When I toss paperclips about, they double as tufts of greasy brown fluff. The chairs we sit on are three varying sizes of them chairs, one broken to bits.
When we shut our eyes, warm steam rises from the bowls. We inhale the delicious scents of melted butter and hot maple syrup. Cold air rushes about our ears from an open door to the outside. We look around and discover that the prior inhabitants left in a rush.
Okay — now scratch both stories, and we’re back to reality.
Was either tale familiar to you? When you were quite young, did you hear, read, or tell the stories of “Little Red Riding Hood,” and of “The Three Bears”?
Imagining is a muscle — as essential to flex, deepen, and expand as it is to eat well, exercise, and think positively. Fiction helps us become better in every way.
If there exist cultures that don’t value the power of stories, I’m not aware of them. Most people I know barely read, and when they do, its non-fiction — spiritual, how-to, self-help, work facts, or textbooks. They say they don’t have time for novels or shorter stories.
If people understood the value of fiction, they would make time for it. As a former journalist, I know facts are important. As a reader and a novelist, I also know the unparalleled power of fiction. Facts help us become productive. Fiction helps us make sense of life. Fine literary fiction transports us into imaginary shoes, times, and places. We become more human. We take the time to value fun.
The best stories, it has been said, are those that make us cry as well as laugh.
Do you allow yourself time to read fiction?
Happiness Between Tails by da-AL 
Well said Daal! I think is an important message and I laud you for communicating it. I\m always so encouraged when a children’s fiction writer comes along and catches the imagination of young readers. Don’t you think that the queues of children waiting outside bookshops for the next Harry Potter book were encouraging and inspiring?
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Thanks, Denzil. Yes, they are heartening. Romance novels and young adult fiction are the big fiction money makers. Literary fiction needs to become as popular.
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Marvelous post Daal! Love it.
At the same time…I am thinking lately about the importance of true stories, stories told by people about real life. For instance, the Netherlands is more then Amsterdam, red district, tulips. Africa is more then very poor people. An American-African is more then black…So, next to reading and writing fiction, I also hope people start telling their true stories again.
XxX
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You are truly wise – anything that helps us to see each other as individuals is needed.
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I have to be honest: I was inspired by this woman: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
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Ah – wonderful 😀
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Fantastic speech! A little more imagination and empathy in the world is never a bad thing in my book.
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Thanks much — there’s wonderful imagination & empathy galore on your site – I encourage all to visit it 🙂
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Thanks daAl, and who could argue with your suggestion? Sadly, we live in a time of screen addiction, and of an almost pathological distractedness — the very things that often prevent us from engaging with a physical book of literary fiction. For whatever reason, the electronic reader has stalled in popularity. I might speculate that many users of them became introduced to fiction through poor writing, through 99 cent eBooks they found impossible to resist. Everyone writes books these days (I’ve done it myself!), and yet how are we to make children aware of the treasure that awaits in quality literary fiction, and the sheer pleasure of reclining with a paper book, turning the pages to new worlds with their richly-drawn characters?
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I learned to love reading from seeing how much my mother enjoyed it. We don’t have to see our parents read, though — we can see each other read. The classics survive for a reason — they’re often marvelous. Thanks Hariod, for adding your wisdom to this.
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Agreed, agreed, agreed….fantastic, Dal…..you have a wonderful way of imparting wisdom and exuding enthusiasm…both of which make for generous invitations. Thanks for sharing your gifts 🙂
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You are kind — your encouragement is much appreciated!
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It’s my pleasure 🙂
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Wonderful speech, Daal. I love that you promoted reading fiction. It’s not just that there are so many other types of reading material to occupy our time, but so many other distractions of all kinds – watching sporting events, TV shows, attending movies, theater, restaurants, conferences, playing sports, hosting friends – you can add a thousand other activities. You did a great job of engaging me, I was totally in that forest, smelling the porridge.
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You are absolutely right — & there’s lots more to distract us — but we make time for things that we consider imperative. So glad you enjoyed this, Sharon 🙂
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Yes, I make time, you make time, so many others don’t. Sigh….
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