Story-telling is a popular and productive way for individuals to both become acquainted with one another and to harbor relationships in a group. Before the advent of the written word, the oral tradition of story-telling served as a means for cultures to pass down history, folklore, and anecdotal stories that demonstrated the proper way to conduct oneself in a society. Today story-telling is just as important, and especially important in a corporate "culture", where many rules and bureaucratic procedures make work relationships difficult. Story-telling is important to social relationships, because in hearing a person's stories, we learn to understand an individual's experiences and finally learn to understand him or her. Storytelling, more importantly, has to power to dispel prejudices and inconsistencies with events and people in history. Therefore, if a person seeks out individuals, who like to tell stories, they will have a more positive view of the value of close relationships. Conversely, if an individual spends too much time on the internet at home or for these purposes at work, he or she will exhibit more depression than an individual, who has the opportunity to relate with others through the verbal language, as opposed to e-mailing and "chatting". Pocket Guide to Adulthood by Jason Boyett encompasses all the previous information and is a worthwhile read.
Boyett relays his experiences with hearing stories both from his grandfather and other older adults. He vividly remembers one of his grandfather's stories and says "to know Paw-Paw is to know his story" and believes that the key to really connecting with others in our families and other parts of our culture is to know the stories that others are willing to share, to feel more connected to them and their life experiences. Boyett, also, writes of his experiences in marketing for a local retirement community. He would highlight the lives of some of the residents there and in doing so, learned a great deal about the wonderful history and personalities of the people there.
