THE NARRATIVE VOICE

Lately I have been challenged by several people close to me in my life about the way I communicate. The intensity of emotion expressed by these very significant people has caused me to look closely at the way I share my life with my fellow humanity. I start with the idea that there are no secrets, and even that is open to discussion. Culturally the art of communication is approached in a variety of ways. In the east the psychology of the person is not important. The outward expression is the most important signature of the person. If you are able to "hold that together" you are embraced and honored. Very little is spoken of the inner life of the individual. It is expected that your inner landscape will express itself outwardly regardless of the circumstances. My teacher in India once said, "any fool can look good until they open their mouths". (sic) I took that as a sign that I should immediately "open my mouth" and take the chance of making a complete fool of myself so that I could really discover how much of a fool I am and grow.
From an earlier time I noticed that the "hip and groovies" didn't talk much. They looked good, but seemed to think that talking was some kind of an "ego trip". There was some kind of code that I didn't "grok". Of course, they listened with rapt attention to the many muscians, yogis, american indian elders, psychedelic gurus, and others waxing endlessly many ancient stories. Then they went about their way doing exactly the same things they were doing before meeting these "sages" with their sage advise. It seemed incongruent and rude to me that so little was gleaned by these exercises in listening. Why didn't more happen in the lives of these seemingly cool people? I thought that maybe they already understood everything and that these teachers were just a reminder of lessons already learned. Then one day it occurred to me that there was not going to be any action, because all of this posturing was to prop up uncertainty caused by lack of action. These were not the models I was looking for, but simple souls frozen by fear, and possibly induced paranoia. It was then that I noticed that those who had not been drained by fear and still had the courage to extend themselves were successful in finding their dreams. I also remembered that those in school who asked the seemingly stupidest questions became the most successful whereas, I who was afraid to appear stupid didn't speak up and struggled daily with achieving my dreams. AH HA !!! Now the problem was how to "speak up"?
The most ancient form of verbal intercourse appears to be story telling. Not just long stories with mysterious meanings, but actually telling a story about our activities or experience. ("Hey, know what? I killed a brontosaurus today and now we will have food for the winter!".) Now, for those of you who are thinking that just by mentioning this there appears a lack of sincerity, and an agenda on the part of the speaker (i.e. me), you are wrong. The obvious is always the most mysterious. The unseen is just unseen. Duh. All communication is a form of narrative. It is just a matter of clarity and success. Have I communicated this, or my needs, or my enthusiasm, or whatever clearly enough? Is there enough artistry included that it is of interest? Can you hear the Love and excitement in the sharing? Then the narrative is successful. The narrative voice has been heard. Practice, Practice, Practice ! I guess I need more practice so that I will not be thought of as a "know it all". How can anyone really know it all?