An Introduction to Seven Stories

Learning How to See with Brian McLaren

Center for Action and Contemplation

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Becoming conscious of the stories we’re telling can be lifesaving to individuals and entire cultures.”—Gareth Higgins How do you recount life’s biggest triumphs and failures? What about your deepest loves and biggest betrayals? In this season, we'll be exploring the power of storytelling to help create a more just and loving world. This season, Brian McLaren dives into conversation with the co-host for this season, Gareth Higgins. Gareth is a writer and speaker who works in peace building and violence reduction in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Together, Brian and Gareth invite you to explore the story patterns that can lead us towards — and away from — a more equitable and loving future. Resources: The transcript for this episode can be found here. To learn more about Gareth Higgins, click here. To learn more about Brian McLaren, click here. To explore the seven stories in more depth, visit the website here. You'll find details about the children's book, essays for adults, and more. Connect with us: Have a question you'd like Brian or Gareth to answer about the seven stories? Email us: podcasts@cac.org or leave us voicemail. Questions for this season will only be accepted until November 22nd, 2023. This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/ Thank you!

Transcript

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0:00.0	There once was a people. Let's call them the people. The people used stories to interpret their lives.
0:09.1	Stories of where they came from. Stories of where they were going. Stories that told them how to be happy.
0:15.8	Stories that told them where they were.
0:18.3	One day, a long time ago, one of the people saw another one of the people holding something
0:26.1	shiny.
0:27.7	I want it, said one of the people.
0:31.0	So he took it.
0:32.7	When he got back home that night, the rest of the people were amazed.
0:39.5	Because I have a shiny object, he proclaimed, you have to listen to me.
0:45.5	And he told them a story about what he had learned, about how to be happy, about how to
0:51.8	have peace and security, how to keep the shiny thing that he had found.
0:58.8	The first story said that the way to be happy is to rule over others.
1:06.5	But every time that story was attempted, people were unhappy because the rulers oppressed them.
1:15.6	So a second story was invented.
1:18.5	Let's overthrow the rulers.
1:22.1	And this story didn't work either because it just turned the tables, putting new people under oppression.
1:28.3	So another story began, in which the old revolutionaries withdrew into their own isolated spaces,
1:37.3	and judged the world. Nothing changed.
1:42.3	These island communities used the same old stories to run themselves,
1:48.0	competing to be in charge,
1:50.0	building shiny object factories that blew ugly smoke into the air,
1:55.0	making everyone cough and dominating each other.
	...

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