Single Stories

Hey friends,

We had our monthly community day this past Saturday, and as part of the devotion during our shared meal at the end of the day, we watched a TED talk entitled "The Danger of a Single Story." It's just under 20 minutes long, but if you've got the time, I'd highly suggest you take a look (See? it's right here, just for you!).  

In her talk, author Chimamanda Adichie discusses the downfalls of approaching any person or situation from just one point of view, and how these singular points of view can be major roadblocks in our ability to understand and relate to one another. We watched at least part of this video at YAV orientation back in the fall, but it was great to have the space to watch the whole thing and talk about it with my housemates.

Our particular discussion of the single stories we have come in to contact with ourselves was one that still has me thinking. What are the single stories that people believe about us? About you? What single stories do you believe about others? There are single stories based on age, race, sexual orientation, and just about any other group you can think of. Young people, old people, Southerners, Christians, rich people, poor people, New Orleanians, Republicans, Democrats...you name it. And as easy as it is to list certain single stories that people have believed about me, I am absolutely just as guilty of believing them about others.

I'd just encourage you to take some time and watch the video, and think about what single stories are part of your life, and what you might do to get rid of them. Adichie argues the following, at the end of her talk: "...when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise." 


Get to know each other. Have conversations, build relationships, and be open to learning new things about one another. After all, life would be terribly dull if everyone had the same story. Storytelling is something at which New Orleanians are very (very) proficient. Sure, this danger of a single story is present here just as anywhere else, but there seem to be very few people who will hesitate in sharing at least part of their history. This can be good or bad, depending on how much of a hurry you're in on that particular day, but it is a general openness that I admire. Maybe try and give it a go sometime, yeah? 

Love,
Allison

P.S. - There are tons of great TED talks out there, on plenty of different topics, so I'd suggest you head on over to their website if you're looking for something to do. One of my favorites is spoken-word poet Sarah Kay's "If I should have a daughter..."