THE Story

I doubt there is a person reading this that does not have family that is gravely unprepared for hard times, should hard times indeed come our way.  The personality of the person might vary from those that are in complete denial to those that believe God would never allow such a thing to happen here (perhaps when we ask God for something long enough, He will give it to us – read 1 Samuel 8 and think about the gods of socialism and moral relativism, who’s altars we are worshiping at).

History tells a very different story, a story most here are well aware of.  Time and time again throughout our history we have seen the results of a society that turns its back on the wisdom of forgotten generations – the gods of the Copybook Headings, as Kipling might put it.

History also provides us with a reoccurring example of how previous cultures forewarned their posterity:  the fable,  the parable, the allegory – whatever you choose to call it – whether it was oral, written or performed – on papyrus, around a campfire or in mass market paperback – the story has served us as a dynamic device, useful in conveying our thoughts to others.

One could choose to aggregate news articles from across the globe regarding famine, economic malaise, fascist governments and genocide and commence to, one by one, urge our loved ones to awaken to the reality of the dark times we face.  This may work for many, but to others the news articles are simply a collection of statistics that happen to unknown faces in distant places.

The story can be a powerful device, especially when combined with relate-able characters that one grows to love and care about as the story progresses.  The story will allow the reader to consider their own actions as if they were in the character’s position and determine how they would react – and the consequences of those actions.

With these thoughts in mind, the burden is on you, the informed and prepared family member or friend, to choose the proper story that aligns with your world view – hopefully a faithful or at least morally upright worldview.  One would not hand a friend a book where in bleak times, the characters relinquished their humanity and committed unjustified violence without remorse, unless they wanted their friend to consider that very course of action if they were ever in a similar situation.

The story can be one of the most stalwart forms of communication we have at our disposal in convincing our loved ones, because of the raw emotion that it can contain.  Whether it is a novel, movie or poem consider a high quality story to aid you in reaching out to the ones you love.

Take Care,
Archer Garrett
Author of the Western Front series