Notes on Part 1

Linear narratives deal with only a few and cherry-picked facts, leaving out the complexity of situations, so opinion, rumor, idle talk or speculative belief can be presented as truth.  Certainly ‘what’s true’ must look at the whole of the evidence.  It is not just the account itself, but cherry-picking the historical, social, economic, and political context. Indigenous living story is highly contextual, even with a few words, a community that is place-based, in generations of time, is said to have an aliveness.  Have you ever felt your own living story could not be safely told in a group with no respect for listening to different perspective? Contrast that with a safe place, an inviting group of active listeners, in a community that values respect for others’ voices being heard and taken seriously. Your gut and heart give your thinking mind signals about a place, a time, to tell something sensitive, personal, even unpopular personal truth. A narrative with cherry-picked facts can present a simple account, a “Keep It Sweet and Simple (KISS)” account. KISS is often considered coherent, easy to take in, and persuasive. However, going deep into the whole of facts, the context that animates the meaning of facts, can be complex, include uncomplimentary aspects, and not KISS at all. Which of these is ‘what’s true?’ KISS sometimes cuts through embellishments, dead-ends, and masks. It all depends on the right place to tell, the time is right to tell, and the living story having the silent language of gut and heart, those silent energy waves to get your brain to think it through more deeply.