What is our superpower?

You have probably noticed that this blog started with a strange question! As human beings, what is our superpower? Is it our intelligence? Perhaps, but there are many other intelligent creatures out there, from whales and octopuses to parrots and chimpanzees.

As a Storytime editor, I spend a lot of time thinking about stories. In fact, I have a theory that telling stories is what makes humans special. That may sound a bit absurd, because other creatures can communicate too. However, as far as we know, humans are the only creatures that can tell long and elaborate stories, which are a very effective way of transmitting knowledge and wisdom.

What better way to do this than by telling a story?

A member of my family is an anthropologist who works for a world health organization. His job is to teach people around the world better health practices. One of his projects was teaching good hand washing techniques (and this was long before COVID-19 broke out!)

One day, he carefully and logically explained how to wash hands to a class of children. They understood what he was saying and nodded politely. However, when he returned a week later, they were still not washing their hands as he had told them.

At first he was frustrated, but then he thought. He could have given the kids the facts, but had he really connected with them?

The next time he talked to the children, he told them a story about the porcupine and how he stopped all the other animals in the forest from getting sick by showing them how to clean their feet. This story made the children's faces light up and from that day on they washed their hands very well.

Why had his story worked so well, when simply stating the facts had logically failed? That's because stories work on more than one level. They contain information, but they also relate to our emotions so that we can relate to what is being said.

Here at Storytime, we love different stories from around the world, and some of them are very old. These stories have endured because they and the lessons they teach resonate with us today. Think of the story of the Trojan Horse from Storytime # 49: We all know it is wise to be suspicious of strange gifts, but it is most compelling when it is part of a moving story.

We all may know that it's not good to give in to worry about something that might never happen, but the characters in Henny Penny's story (Storytime # 19) bring it to life and make us laugh.

Or consider The Midas Touch message from Storytime # 8. We can understand that getting what we want can have unintended consequences, but the story makes it much more immediate and easy to identify. Suddenly we understand WHY it could be like this!

As human beings, storytelling helps us pass on our knowledge and wisdom, and unites us as people. Why not take the time to tell someone your story and then listen as they tell yours? It may be a child who wants to tell you about his day in the park or a grandfather who remembers times gone by. Using our super power can be a wonderful thing!