Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. In this TedTalk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice – and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
I find there are some key truths /principles in this talk, which also apply to other discussions which are currently happening in our world:
- Judgment toward (or Rejection of) other cultures & races
- Relationship between Christians of different churches
- Historical figures or incidents
- How some peoples & cultures can unwittingly portray themselves simply as victims of injustice, without sharing other aspects of their story, which highlight their gifts, accomplishments etc.
- How religion and the Christian religion in particular, is viewed nowadays, in western cultures.
Many times, the overarching story that we hear is one-sided and tells only certain stories which cast ourselves /our group into a favourable light. Or which suit us, because it supports our point of view.