The Nativity (Detail) by Franz von Rohden (19th century)
A Christmas Day Meditation
The word “story” is a rather ambiguous word. It’s ambiguous in that the word itself does not tell you whether the story is true or not. Thus we’ve come up with phrases to help us with that. When the story is true, we use phrases like ” the true story of…” or ” (story name), a true story”, or “the real story of” – to differentiate true stories from stories full of common misconceptions.
We also have ways identifying stories that are not true. When we tell “fairy stories” we’re telling a story we’re acknowledging to be a fanciful, made up fictional string of events. Or we may end an explanation with “… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” Most people understand this as a tacit admission that parts or all of the story might not true, but the teller of the story is unwilling to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” as you would in a court of law. Continue Reading
