Lockdown 116

Lockdown Day 116 - 20 July 2020

I believe storytelling is an art. Some people just have the knack of telling a story that hits all the right buttons. In my line of work, however, I have learnt the listener's brain also has a specific and unique learning and thinking preference according to their neurological design.  Every listener hears according to this profile (albeit subjective). This explains why some people will laugh at a joke while others may only find it mildly amusing or not funny at all. 

This also explains why two people will listen to a news bulletin at the same time, and then share a complete different version of the same thing, or, they will argue about what they just heard. This is especially true for music lovers. I might be a gospel rock and roller with no love lost for jazz. But another person can't stand gospel rock, but absolutely loves pop and jazz. 

Take for instance the Delirious song I posted yesterday. Being Gospel rock, it stretches the more conservative listener, whereas the more liberal rocker would think this is low level rock. If you are a listener of lyrics, you will find the lyrics "spoke" to you regardless of the music genre. If you are a listener of rhythm and acoustics, your mind may have been blown regardless of the lyrics. Or, maybe you just couldn't appreciate it at all. Truth is, each one of us are unique in our taste and appreciation of things.

Back to storytelling. Storytelling is not the "gift of the gab". To be able to tell a story is one thing, but to orally deliver it in such a way that the audience is captivated, is a completely different skill; you almost need to be an orator or actor of some sort - this is why most authors do not play the lead role in their own plays or movies, are shy and in general don't like talking about their books in public (so next time you want to grill an author with questions at a book launch, give the guy/girl a break). 

As far as stories go, I always wonder how the end is determined and why most endings are found unsatisfactory. Sitting through a movie or reading an entire book only to find no resolve at the end is extremely frustrating. To expect something and be surprised and gratified is a good ending's effect, but to expect something and be disappointed constitutes an unsatisfactory ending. Again, this is subjective. 

Short stories are a little different. Some short stories end really badly, and are mostly used for illustrative purposes, i.e. to highlight a principle or describe an analogy to support a theory. 

Tonight I would like to end my post with the following story:

Lion came across a Tiger in the jungle. He grabbed Tiger's tail and asked, "Who is the king of the jungle?" Tiger answered humbly, "You, oh mighty Lion". Next, Lion met Monkey and grabbed him, asking, "Who is the king of the jungle?", to which Monkey answered, "You, oh mighty Lion". After walking a while, Lion met Elephant along the way and asked, "Elephant, tell me, who is the king of the jungle?" Elephant grabbed Lion, picking him up with his trunk, swinging him through the air,  throwing him against a tree; Lion dropped to the jungle floor in a bundle, bruised and bloodied. He eventually got up slowly, licking his wounds, surprised to see Elephant still standing there. Lion remarked, " There was no need to get all worked up because you don't know the answer" before strolling away.

Food for thought:  The greater your authority, the greater your grace toward others needs to be.

The Lion of Judah's grace toward us is astonishing and liberating. Standing up for the Truth in obedience to His Word, will cause the Lion of Judah to stand up behind you and bear the consequences of your obedience. Its as if God says, 'I've got you, my child. I've got this."

Ggt.