The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
If every event which occurred could be given a name, there would be no need for stories.
Interpretation
Stories give deeper meaning and connection to events, beyond just naming them.
John Berger's quote suggests that simply naming events is insufficient for understanding our experiences; it emphasizes the essential role of storytelling in enriching our lives and providing insightful narratives that connect us on a deeper level. Stories are not merely labels for occurrences; they encapsulate emotions, lessons, and meaning, which allow us to relate to and reflect on our experiences.
In practice
During a storytelling session, one might share this quote to highlight the importance of narratives.
The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
The only people who want to change the Gospel are those who are unchanged by it.
When you've understood this scripture, throw it away. If you can't understand this scripture, throw it away. I insist on your freedom.
Robots do not hold on to life. They can't. They have nothing to hold on with - no soul, no instinct. Grass has more will to live than they do.
It seemed like a matter of minutes when we began rolling in the foothills before Oakland and suddenly reached a height and saw stretched out ahead of us the fabulous white city of San Francisco on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness in the late afternoon of time.
For every force charged by God, may He be exalted, with some business is an angel put in charge.
The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. The business of america is justice and securing the blessings of liberty.
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