Be sure to listen to the stories people tell. Each considers his or her own story to be interesting. They have lived it and want to tell about it. The feeling I often encounter sounds like this, "Of course my story is the correct one and everyone should be interested in hearing it. I will listen to your story, and find it valuable, only if it agrees with mine." It seems to me that it is important to listen to other individual's stories, but not necessarily agree with them.
We have all had different stories. Some are more similar than others and some are so different they are difficult to understand. I find it hard to understand even so simple a thing as dogs and cats. When a person's story included dogs they will have a different tale than another who lived a cat story. Often these two groups tend to be exclusive. My story is the correct one since I had a cat. The dog story person will argue mine is wrong. Our stories are certainly composed of what we live. We think that if it worked for us, and is working, then it must be the right way to live.
Extreme poverty or continual conflict are stories I read about but have not experienced. It is nearly impossible for me to comprehend wondering where the next meal will come from. I cannot grasp groups of people openly carrying guns in my community. I feel guilty when I realize how fortunate I am to live in a prosperous country with many freedoms. Then I wonder why I was born here, and not where poverty and suffering are the norm. Why has my story developed in its own way?
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