Stories Shape Who We Are

Nowadays stories are thought of as entertainment, but this was not always the case. Stories used to be used almost strictly for getting a point across, allegories, and  propaganda, as well as teaching children life lessons or morals are a few examples of how stories were used. You may object and say that stories are still used that way today, and yes, some are, but you have to admit, when you think of a story, you think of entertainment. You used to read a story to learn something, or be taught something, but now we just read to be entertained.

Just because stories are now thought of as only entertainment and having no effect on a person's thoughts, actions, or deeds, does not mean that they are passive. Just because we have changed our perception of stories doesn't mean that they have stopped doing what they used to do. Whether you like it or not, when you read or listen to a story you are coming in contact with another person's view of the world and you won't be able to get away completely unchanged. You are constantly being changed and shaped by the world around you, and stories are by no means an exception.

So Go read a book, but remember that what you read shapes who you are.

If you are what you read, I only want to read the good books.

Hope and Easter

Happy Resurrection day! Today we celebrate the completion of the greatest story ever told. Today, over two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and saved us all from death. Now because of him we don't have to live in sin and death, we have been forgiven and rescued.We know that bad things may happen, life may be stormy and terrifying, but this is not the end. We know that better things are still to come. Because of Him we have hope.

Hope is what makes a good story great. Think about it, at the end of your favorite book are all the main characters dead? Did they fail their quest? Did the villain win? No, good triumphed over evil. It might have cost a great price, but in the end they never lost hope. They may have doubted a few times, but they achieved their goal. What are we left with when we read "The End"? A sense of satisfaction, and hope for the characters, that they will live on. That life may not always be easy but they will find a way to overcome evil, and a way to live happily ever after.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
 
And sweetest in the gale is heard;        
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
 
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;      
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

-Emily Dickinson

The Girl

Once upon a time, there was a girl. There wasn't anything particularly special about this girl. She was shy, and lived a quiet life. One day she opened a book and discovered that the world was much bigger than she had ever imagined. Since that day, the girl has discovered that she has her own story to tell, and has picked up a pen to write it.