post 7: "STORIES THAT BIND US"

NY TIMES

I love this idea and belief discussed by Bruce Feiler that one of the greatest ways to keep a family tight knit today is “creating a strong family narrative.” A strong, diverse, and sometimes crazy narrative that constitutes life. He talks about three different narratives first the ascending narrative, second the descending narrative, and third the oscillating narrative. Ascending refers to the growth the family has experienced while descending focuses on the struggles faced. The third, and last narrative focuses on both of them combined, the families journey as a whole. I thought that the idea of numerous narratives was insightful and true. The last thing I found from the article that really stood out to me was a statement made by Bruce. The statement was, “Children who have the most self-confidence . . . know they belong to something bigger than themselves.” I think this is so true.

THE BLOG

This blog post was a response to the original “Stories That Bind Us Article” found in the New York Times which focuses on 20 questions that were asked to see how much children knew about their family history. It is known as the “Do You Know” (DYK) scale. A questionnaire designed to determine how much children know about their family. Something that I think is an interesting concept. I really liked the idea that the more children know about their ancestors the stronger and more self-confident they are. In order for children to know the answers to the 20 questions, it would require family to tell them the stories. I love and wholeheartedly agree with this idea. The idea that if you take time to teach children about their family, they will better know themselves.

LDS.ORG

I loved the churches take on this article because I feel like it really tied everything together. It proves that what the church has been doing in regards to family history is true. The church knows the value of getting to know those that came before you. Not only does it teach you so much about yourself, but it helps you realize you truly are apart of something so much bigger. Even though each of these pieces of writing was different, I feel that they successfully expressed the importance of learning our story.