We, as people, all need a getaway. That is why we, as people, need stories.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word story means:

“An oral or written narrative account of events that occurred or are believed to have occurred in the past; a narrative account accepted as true by virtue of great age or long tradition. “

I believe that stories are important because they are a form of communication between generations. When I was a kid, my parents always talked about a rat and how a rat stole my favorite VHS (that is why I couldn’t find it) or that if I didn’t behave that the rats will come at night and kidnap me.

As a child I never questioned it, but as I grew older I began to ask and wonder what ‘the rat’ meant. Everyone I talked to, my friends,  didn’t understand the rat metaphor either. Everyone’s parents made something up whenever something happens to keep their child in order, but no one ever heard of the rat.

it wasn’t until recently, a couple of years ago, when I learned that the rat comes from an old Vietnamese tale. This was a tale that parents used to tell their kids to get them to behave. My parent’s parents told them the tale and then my parents threatened my siblings and I with the tale. They had never told us the actual tale before, until now. My parents only know it in Vietnamese.

I believe that stories are important to people because it connects people from different generations. Stories also allow people to connect with people who aren’t close or aren’t even here anymore. Stories, I know, will always be meaningful it allows someone to show you a snapshot of their life and what they remember from childhood, found meaningful, or even funny.

Cited:

Story: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/190981?rskey=cw7aRz&result=2#eid