My Whispering Teachers: Stories to make you smile and think ... and think ...

Without stories our lives would be dry non-fictional decrepitudes; dusty withered data-existences subject to the changing whims of those who think they know and seldom do. In fact without stories there would be no life for even facts are a legend a tale. For example inoculations cured some people from some diseases so there arose the fable that all inoculations cure all diseases despite the fact that some maim and kill people. Another fable that masquerades as truth or fact is about fluoride. Alcoa the largest aluminium manufacturer in the world was facing a $40 million law suit in 1939 for polluting the countryside with the most toxic element known to man ... fluoride. They defended that suit by establishing a scientific institute and quickly and magically discovered that fluoride was good for teeth. Such is our desire to believe in stories we continue to tell the same old lie eighty years later. Whether its about the world being flat the planets flying round the earth Jesus being a blonde pale-face or global warming all facts are simply opinions something to be believed in long after theyre proven wrong. Opinions are like bum holes - everyone has one and few are interested in yours. Stories on the other hand are more honest than facts. They admit quite blatantly that theyre a barefaced lie - a moving humorous or fascinating barefaced lie. However theyre not totally honest for within every made-up fictional tale is an eternal truth that touches our hearts and minds - if theyre open to such truths - in ways that facpinions cant for were what our hearts remember. I challenge you to recall three salient facts from your least loved school subject while knowing youll have no trouble recalling a dozen stories or jokes from the same time. The reality is that were story-remembering creatures and true or not we love to embrace caress and polish any story that comes our way. There are the stories that arise when our egos (finances and reputations) are pricked and there are stories that arise when our egos move aside. These latter stories are not part of the game of survival but are the fecundity of life the juice of the heart and a savouring for our taste buds. These are the stories told round the fire on balmy summer nights. Savour and enjoy!