The Story We Tell Creates the Story We Live

As a writer, storyteller and poet and one for whom story has been a source of joy for decades I have noted that story has the power to shape reality.  The stories we tell create our beliefs, our beliefs create our actions and our actions create our life which is the individual story we live.

But none of our individual stories are lived in isolation from the millions of other individual stories lived on this planet now and in the past and future.  It is my belief that every story impacts every other story as ripples made by fistfuls of pebbles cast upon a still pond and in the process create the Story that is lived out by the global family of humanity.

In the ten years since the events of 9/11/01 I've been dismayed to watch as the predominant story being lived became one of fear.  I became hesitant and often just opted out of posting anything to commemorate that day for fear of being an unwitting contributor to the miasma of fear, anger, bitterness and hate that seem to be automatically associated with any reference to the day.

Every call to 'Never forget', every image of the smoking buildings, planes and craters in the ground, every memorial and every roll call of the lost ones whether aloud at a service or via page after page of names and faces in a newspaper seemed to be a call to remember to be afraid, to be angry, to demand justice.

There is only one outcome to that Story if we do not endeavor to change it and that is more smoking buildings, planes and craters in the ground, more roll calls of the lost and the morphing of the meaning of 'justice' into little more than a synonym for 'revenge'.

This year I've discovered two organizations attempting to change the Story from one of fear to one of Love and Peace.  The first, featured in the video at top is One The Event and the second featured in the video below is The 9/11 Peace Intention Experiment.

One The Event is being held in Seattle from Friday through Sunday and streaming live from 10 AM Pacific Coast Time each day. There will be inspirational speakers and musicians from around the globe. Sign the petition on their site. 

The 9/11 Peace Intention Experiment is being held live on line beginning at 10 AM Pacific Coast Time and repeated each day at the same time for seven days thereafter. It is a communal meditation with participants from around the globe. Register to participate.