Top 5 stories every grownup must hear

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on March 20th. Stories have known to be powerful tools when it comes to healing the mind and soul. Stories are an effective medium to counter depression and anxiety in children and adults alike. 

Geetanjali Shetty Kaul is the Founder of Secret Passages, a Mumbai based popular storytelling group. She is a master storyteller who conducts workshops using meditation, voice modulation and facial expression as tools.

She says, “Stories help parents and teachers to build a future for the child by moulding their personality with four strong pillars – hope, truth, belief and love.”  We, as adults, can learn valuable life lessons through this medium.”

To celebrate World Storytelling Day, we compiled a list of top five simple, yet powerful and inspirational stories that we have been hearing since time immemorial. We may have heard these stories as kids, but we’re never too old to hear a story, every now and then, just so that we can stay connected to the inner child in us. These stories may be simple, but they’re applicable in everyday life. Read on and get inspired.

1) The broken pot – There was once a farmer who used to ferry water for his daily needs in two pots. While he used to diligently fill up both the pots, one pot had a crack which he never noticed. After reaching home he would always wonder as to where the water in the other pot is.  This rigmarole went on and one fine day he noticed greenery and beautiful flowers only on one side of the path.   Only then he realized that the cracked pot had been instrumental in bringing in this wonderful scenario.

Moral of the story – Each one of us is unique despite our flaws and shortcomings; we just have to discover our true potential and work on them effectively. Also, remember, that no one is perfect, but it is with this imperfection, that sometimes, something truly beautiful can be created.

2) The deaf frog- There once lived a group of frogs in a forest. They were jumping towards the pond when one of them fell into a pit. Immediately the other frogs panicked and tried various methods to get their friend out of the pit. After a few attempts, they gave up and conclusively screamed in unison that their friend is going to be stranded in the pit forever.  The trapped frog was deaf; hence looking at his friend’s screaming he assumed that they are encouraging him to get out of the pit.  He tried hard and maneuvered his way out of the pit; much to the amazement of his friends.

Moral of the story – Perseverance is the key to success; no what matter what other people say or do, always rely on your internal strength. And at times, it is wise to turn a ‘deaf ear’ to discouraging and negative comments. Just focusing on your abilities can get you out of a situation in life.

3) The king and the spider – Once a king ventured into deep forests for hunting. Due to unforeseen calamities, he lost his way and lost hope of safely returning to his kingdom. He found respite in a cave nearby. As he rested there, he noticed a spider weaving a web on the inner wall of the cave.  The spider kept falling down often in the process but quickly recovered itself and restarted the process all over again. This went on for an hour after which the spider was comfortably nestled in its newly built home.  This incident inspired the king and now with a new vigour he safely found his way back to the kingdom.

Moral of the story –  Never give up in life; where there is a will there is always a way. Remember, no one has it easy all the time. We may not realize, but struggles are important every now and then so that we can cherish what we have achieved.

4) The scorpion and the monk – A monk was once passing through the banks of a river. He saw a scorpion drowning in the water.  Out of apathy he picked up the scorpion and threw it on the river bank safely.  Immediately the scorpion stung him on his feet. Undeterred he moved on. In the next few days, the same incident repeated.  A passerby asked the monk as to why he was trying the save the scorpion even though it stung him repeatedly. The monk calm replied, “Saving a life is my nature whereas stinging is the nature of the scorpion.”

Moral of the story – Be who you are; retain your true nature come what may. It is more important to be kind without expectations. Be good, but also understand that the other person may not reciprocate the same way, but it’s okay. You must stay true to yourself and let karma take care of the rest.

 5) A poor man’s wealth- In a village there lived two neighbours, one rich and the other poor. The rich man was a wealthy landlord who had a lot of valuables but he could not sleep peacefully at night as he feared theft in his house. On the other hand, the poor man was a farmer who could barely make ends meet, he lived in a hut but was very happy. A natural calamity brought all the people to the village courtyard one day. The landlord was anxious and very worried about losing his valuables but, the poor man was only happy and thankful to the Almighty for saving his life.

Moral of the story – Happiness, love, care, peace of mind and good health is more precious than money; enjoy little moments in life rather than clamoring for wealth and position. The definition of wealth and happiness is different for people, while for some it is money, while for some it is family and health. Whatever you choose to define as wealth, it is more important to be grateful and thankful for it.

Wishing all our readers a happy World Storytelling Day!