The beauty of extended families,tribes,communities offering the wisdom sharing tradition of the elders bestowing storytelling is a missing vital art needing it's restored value. The missing link is that we re-connect the art through the heart, respecting the experiences and lessons rather than being over-identified with the story. We must also appreciate that though our elders may have had different environments and circumstances the lessons remain valuable. When we can appreciate the art of storytelling acknowledging the wisdom rather than the knowledge we may receive the gifts of story. Our egoic need to possess identity rather than express it hinders the richness and depth of Story. Our egoic need of disregarding the value of the natural life cycle for the preference of youth to avoid the reality of temporary, loss, death limits the value in each stage that life offers. When we can appreciate the life journey and value the richness of the whole we can build bridges between our generations appreciating the contributions of each as necessary rather than separating and judging the value or disconnecting and segmenting and disrespecting.  By overemphasizing Story through the literal analysis of the left brain we disempower the depth of the lateral right brain, ego/heart, intellect/feeling,identity/experience,logical/imaginative,duality/wholeness.....

We can blend the Information Age with the Intuition Age respecting and valuing the benefits of both, exclusively inclusive. Our educational system with it's over identification (left brain) of knowledge seeking- information gathering (looking for the missing piece,not missing just in the unknown)has disconnected and dismissed the value of wisdom(right brain). We have decided to overindulge our teaching directed to obtaining more information and memorizing as a measure of learning and pushed back the reality that our whole brain operating children are processing data at unprecedented  speeds. Their brains are technologically overloaded and visually overstimulated and require balancing. They know they can receive information,or where to look if they want it, however, they don't know how to experience it. 

Education quotes by Albert Einstein
1. The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.
2. Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school
3. It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.

The art of storytelling is an Artform, a wholebrained experience. It does not comprise reading stories to our children. It engages them to experience the storyline. We can use the story (myth,parable,sacred texts....) as containers of expressions. The ability to turn information into experience. The ability to breath life into storyline, theatrical expressions allowing a fully engaged participation of the story and the disengagement from the story. Allowing for the experience and expression without the over-identification and loss. Bringing stories to life, appreciating it's contribution, letting go of the construct and re-building a new one, over and over. The fluidity of life's reality, rather than the rigidity of fragmented living.

Our lives are an art, a living story. Our ability to experience and re experience it's storyline's allowing expressions, experiences is our human gift. When we over-identify with a "character" role, identity as Who we are rather than how We Are Experienceing WHO WE ARE we lose the gift. Our stories can heal parts of us needing outlets of expression. Or Our are stories can entrap us in false identity. We can connect with the bigger part of Who We Are or we can be disconnected by the limited story of Who We have Forgotten We ARE.

We can re-define the value of stories and how we utilize them. The left brain analysis and dissection of stories has stripped the richness our stories offer us in self-knowledge without self-appreciation. We are not our stories, nor do we need to have an unhealthy relationship with our stories. We can use our stories or be used by them. Our value of story can be written with and through us slipping easily in and out of expressions, Dances with experiences or they can stagnate us from experiencing Who We Are. Can you value your stories or do you think you are only valuable in a particular story? Can you create your stories or will you be a creation of story? Stories are valuable, there is value in Story.

How do you respond to being uncomfortable? Some of us have a large tolerance for discomfort as a learned behavior for survival. Growing up in dysfunctional families or environments that are oppressive or living through traumas can cause a person to live in survival mode and not really realize life can be any other way. When you start a path of healing or attempt to develop yourself or make changes because you can no longer tolerate the intolerable it requires you to open up to other possibilities. When you open up to other possibilities it requires you to go out of your comfort zone expand your beliefs, thoughts, understandings,habits,choices,the way you think the world works,the way you relate to people,the people you choose to relate to........ When you learn that you gain faster more effective results by finding an internal focal point rather than an external focal point you take responsibility to another meaning. Some of us learned to survive by being over responsible for those in our lives who where not being responsible,we learned that if we didn't make things ok, things would fall apart. We didn't realize that sometimes the best thing for everyone is for things to fall apart. When we continually try and save things that are better off not saved we deny ourselves the experience of investing in things that are a better option for us without all the struggle. We learn to be hypersensitive to protecting "our world" because we learned that people can be unsafe and unreliable. When we continue to operate from survival mode we may misinterpret events,situations,and people because we are trying to survive not realizing that to thrive can feel uncomfortable at times. We believe that if something feels uncomfortable we need to stop it, avoid it, try and control it, protect against it....... The truth is there are subtle differences that can be identified in the complexity of uncomfortable. If we are in survival mode and hypersensitive we may miss the subtle notes of discernment. There is an art to discerning subtleties and it takes time and practice and awareness and willingness to make mistakes in the process of perfecting the art of navigating in uncomfortableness. Not all uncomfortableness is going to produce negative or unhappy experiences, not all uncomfortableness need be tolerated either. Be gentle on yourself when expanding and opening to possibilities. Yes, there are those who can take advantage of the vulnerability, they would anyway, it doesn't reflect anything about you. Remember, you are working on you, your internal focus point as a way to manage the outside points rather than trying to manage the outside to feel ok on the inside(which you have learned doesn't work). Being comfortable with uncomfortable is an art to be cultured and nurtured and expanded not coerced into production within a box for mass production. We can Thrive instead of Survive.

“Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom.” Proverb

“Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise.” William Shakespeare

“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” Paul Tillich

Do you ask a lot of questions? Remember when you were a child and you were constantly asking questions of everything? Maybe it was a phase or you were encouraged by irritated and impatient adults to lighten up on the questioning. Maybe you are like me with an insatiable curiosity and wandering mind that questions all the time, even as an "adult". It is not uncommon for those close to me to wonder how insecure or suspicious I must be because of my habitual questioning, yet I have been told that it is actually a sign of intelligence and active imagination....I like to think of it as opening to receive information.The marketing iconic What if.......It also often sparks a trail for others to follow,maybe peaking an interest or inspiring a new perspective. I also like to think my questioning is sparked by my humility and the idea that I do not Know Everything and there is always something more to learn and driven by my Innovative desire that there is always opportunity for depth and expansion. I suppose there are times that it is reflective of my cautious nature and my desire for success.

If you are doubting it doesn't really count as questioning. When you are in doubt you are undecided if something is true or not. When you doubt it is trap of nuetrality and non-commitment. You can stay in doubt and not find out, care or decide one way or the other. However, If you aren't questioning you may not discover information or truth or value. You may remain in a stand still of worry our confusion feeling bad without clarity or understanding. I find that doubt leads me into negative directions and questioning leads me into understanding what is true for me. I feel it keeps me moving rather than re circling. However, it can be a bit burdensome with being patient enough for the answers to arrive in my consciousness and acknowledged awareness, as well as finding myself at times in incoming information overload as I fire off so many questions that there are times I am vomiting with answers.....

I don't think it will change much since I believe it to be a natural part of my true nature and allows me to be, wholely free, good,bad,indifferently expressively questionably. I might ask how to more effectively manage the questioning but I doubt it..........

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” John Allen Paulos

“The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.” Erich Fromm

"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world." Michael Crichton