Stories have been part and parcel of the human experience. It is the way we record history and pass it on to the next generation. In ancient times, people used storytelling to remember their past and reinforce their identity. It is innate for us to try to derive meaning in life through the stories we tell.
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In the opening moments of an epic dialogue between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell, Moyers mentions the means by which mythology provides guidance. Storytelling is an art; narrative provides instruction.
Though we don’t always think that all stories from the past were exactly as they say but they do include parts based on the truth. At some point, perhaps, in our telling of facts, embellishments are added and such they become fiction or myths.
Campbell replies to Moyers: the mythologist doesn’t believe we’re seeking a meaning of life, but rather "an experience of being alive." Our life experiences need to resonate beyond the physical plane to align with our "innermost being and reality," for then we can "feel the rapture of being alive." Mythologies provide such sustenance, as "clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life."
Things we don’t understand can be baffling at times and so we try to process such things by telling stories that would serve as explanations to them.
Recitation of stories is an ancient inheritance. Across the planet, students learn and pass along their traditions through epics. Retelling your culture’s narrative is pivotal in the construction and dissemination of your heritage. Identity relies on the transmission of the story of your people.
Even today, recitation remains an integral aspect of Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, even if it is predominantly scholars studying the extant literature. The underpinnings of culture relies on these stories.
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Source: neatorama