... and came up with a bunch of ghost stories.
I've been thinking of Powell a lot. Ghost stories aren't only a casualty of oppression, and cooptation. They're a common product of interaction at any level. I'm thinking of John Coons who recently finished recording a web series Six Months for Six Weeks (http://youtu.be/QquPAFnd25Q) that tells his stories about a relationship with an expiration date. It's a great watch, and I highly recommend it. But what if he hadn't shared this story? What if this was someone else's story who didn't have the talent, or resources to share this with a wide audience? Or if it was someone's story who didn't tell this story to their friends, family, or lovers? It becomes a ghost story.
By sharing and listening to stories we create bonds, and strengthen communities. Myths are those stories that detail and explain such basic human experiences that they will be around for as long as we are. Gossip are stories that are so fleeting and specific that they have no meaning outside of a small group of people. In between are those stories that are the most powerful, the ones that are the catalyst for change in communities.
John makes me realize that if we want to consider ourselves productive members of a community, then we have an obligation to tell our stories as often and to as wide an audience as possible.
Many cities have forums to enable this. Several publications and coffee houses and theaters encourage lay people who don't have much writing experience, or a trained and gifted voice to engage with their communities and share their perspective. With technology these days, it's easier than ever to share stories.
I wonder... In the future, will there be such things as ghosts?
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