Telling the Story of Peace & Freedom: The Power of Listening

Storytelling is personal. There are no hard and fast rules. Everybody offers their personal touch and perspective. But often it can be difficult to find a starting point to tell a story on such a complex topic as Peace & Freedom. With this blog post, we launch a series to explore specific things we can do or consider to tell a compelling story about peace and freedom.

Strategy 1: Listen.

A lot of conflict – whether international, interpersonal, or self-directed – arises when we simply don’t listen to each other. What if you used the creative process of making your film to embody peace and freedom?

For example, say you want to share your story about volunteering in your community. It would be powerful to hear your direct experience, of course. Imagine, though, if you asked your volunteer community, your family, and your friends to share their perspectives – you might discover effects of your actions that you never imagined.

What do you think? Join our brainstorming on Peace & Freedom

How could your story become more powerful by listening to and incorporating other peoples’ perspectives? What other ways could your creative process itself be an act of peace and freedom?

Share your ideas below about how we can tell stories through film about Peace & Freedom

P.S. We love this video on the power of listening from a 2010 writer’s retreat hosted by The Fetzer Institute:

If you’ve found other inspiring videos or content, please share!

Nancyballard

Wow and yes, thank you. Listening. So important. I recently finished a book, Invited Guests, it is at the publishers now, and it speaks of this. Although it is “fiction” based loosly on my life growing up in San Francisco during the sixties and seventies, there is a love story. The biggest suprise and gift to me (and hope for others) was/is the chronicling of the relationship between my father and his children, I guess mostly me since I wrote it.
He is now 88 3/4, I will be 60 in May… We have gone from 10 years at a time of not speaking, being kicked out of the family and him not seeing my children for that amount of time as well, to today where with forgiveness and gratitude, we have lunch once a week and banter over a manhattan as he explains and I, well,ljust listen to the answers he provides. Mostly I don’t tike them. I respect them however and am grateful for his words. Although not a movie, it will make a great one in time!
Mia Murrietta

Nancy - congratulations on finishing your book! I do a lot of the writing here at Possible Futures (and at our parent organization, The Pachamama Alliance) and I like to believe that gives me a special perspective on your amazing accomplishment

Thank you for sharing your perspective on listening. It sounds like it’s been a healing process for you, and the image of you and your dad sharing manhattans and conversation is exactly the kind of story that encourages others - so please don’t rule out the possibility of putting together a brief film by June 21st!

Subscribe to Receive Contest Updates