Exploring the Connection Between Storytelling and Survival: Thoughts from Joan Didion and her Obituary
“ We tell ourselves stories in order to survive.”
I stumbled across this quote during the holidays and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. “We tell ourselves stories in order to survive.” I first think about the importance of storytelling within a family. I thought about the role of stories in culture and traditions. I think about one of my favorite movies, Coco, and how stories keep people alive even after they’re gone. I’m wondering if I could tell my family’s story. I’m thinking about the lies told to me by others, what were they trying to survive? I think about the storytelling I do with myself and those around me, which sometimes is my ego defending itself from theoretical danger. I’m thinking about the great loss of stories because of slavery. I’m thinking about how my family and African American people have survived slavery and oppression through stories.
“We tell ourselves stories in order to survive.”
I’m thinking about how I love watching movies and some people love reading books. I’m thinking about why I became a social worker. I’m wondering if stories have as much value as money or real estate – we’ll put a pin in that one. I’m thinking about Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. What’s the definition of “story” anyway!? (an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment; an account of past events in someone's life or in the evolution of something). Do we have to evolve to survive? Or do we want to tell stories because we are evolving and enabling us to survive? I’m thinking about how some people have the best stories and some people share boring stories. Does everyone tell stories? Is storytelling inevitable? “We tell ourselves stories in order to survive.”
Joan Didion passed away last month. An English teacher wrote a letter to the editor about the obituary which stated “She left no immediate survivors.” The teacher informed the editor, “All storytellers leave immediate survivors.”
Wow. “All storytellers leave survivors.”
Without a personal connection to Joan Didion, I understand this deeply. I’m also thinking about how I can be more intentional in my own storytelling. Now I’m curious about what would happen with intentional storytelling in human services. What happens when intentional storytelling is used to fight, and eventually overcome, oppression? What if we start our work and our programs by thinking about the story we want to tell? What if we think about how we want the story to be told? I think we also have to consider the importance of telling the story of what has happened. What is the story of how we got here? Even if the story is bad, we have to hear it to survive (and hopefully make different choices).