The Responsibility Of Storytelling

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing some workshops at schools in India. One of the things that I talk about is how stories - and storytelling - are powerful. And eventually, as I do with most conversations, I brought up Spider-Man and a quote from the comics/movies.

‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’

That’s a powerful line, and it’s almost as popular as a quote as Spider-Man himself. It’s the Spider-Man of quotes, really.

I talk a lot about storytelling, and the power of it all. But it wasn’t until I started talking to these students about Spider-Man, that I started thinking about the responsibility of storytelling. 

First of all, is there even such a thing? Do I need to do this storytelling thing responsibly? Aren't artists supposed to be a bit irresponsible so that they can create something new while challenging what we already know about everything?

Well, all complicated questions have complicated answers. Because all arguments in this discussion can have equal counter-arguments. 

So my counter-argument to any school of thought that says that artists and creative people and storytellers have a right to be 'irresponsible' to challenge the status quo or what not, is, it is okay to do so, as long as you're not being 'careless' with your power. 

Because being careless, or even reckless, as a storyteller is the same as being irresponsible, isn't it?

So now that we've gotten that valid but flawed argument out of the way, let's talk about what it means to be responsible for the power of storytelling.

The Responsibility To The Self

Before your story even reaches an audience, it has to stand the litmus test of it's first listener - you. You can do whatever you want once you allow yourself to do it. So when you tell your story - whether it's fiction or nonfiction, prose or poetry, visual or otherwise - you need to make sure that what you're putting together is true to who you are as a person. 

The Responsibility To Others

Once you've satisfied your own beliefs / ideals / concerns / curiosity et al with your story, it's time to look outward to 'others'. Others can be anything or anyone that isn't you - it could be the people you're talking about in the story, it could be the people you're talking to through your story, it could be society, or whoever/whatever you think the story relates to. The point is, you have to make sure that what you're doing with this story takes into account that it will eventually reach these 'others' - and you have to be ready for any reactions they may have to it. You don't have to agree or disagree with them in order to present them with your point of view, you just have to do well by your point of view, and be aware of how it can be perceived by others. 

The Responsibility To The Truth

This is a tough one, because who's to say what 'truth' really is? What feels true to you may not feel true to the audience. So how do you find the truth, and then express it? Well, first, separate the truth from the fact. Not all truths are facts, but all facts are truths. A fact is whatever actually happened, and if there is any proof of this thing happening, then you can use it in your truth. But as a storyteller, you won't always be able to present all the 'truths' in a story, so pick the one's that best support the story you want to tell, and make sure you acknowledge the fact that there can be more than one side to a story.

The Responsibility To The Story

Even before you start telling it, the story already exists - because everything that has ever happened technically is a story already. If you accept that, then you must accept that in order to utilize any part of that story in your version of it, you have to make sure that you fully understand what the story is about. Even if you're telling a fictional story, you are probably using some factual elements from a story you've experienced, heard or seen. And even if your story is so fantastical that it has no relation or grounding to your or my current reality, you're still going to end up using some familiar concepts and themes - such as love, life, hatred, kindness, war, peace - all of which are stories that you have previously absorbed somehow. So when it comes to being responsible for telling a story, just remember that you're just one of the tellers of this story, and that no matter what you do, the story always has been, is, and always will be. So what you do with it, and to it, is relevant to its history, and its future. 

Stan Lee didn't exactly write that line word for word. Technically, what he wrote was 'With great power, there must also come --- great responsibility!'

And some historians have argued that a few people may have said something along those lines as early as the French Revolution a couple hundred years ago.

But that doesn't matter, does it? Because Spider-Man made the line what it is today. He's the reason why I know the meaning of that sentence. And he is also the reason why many young kids learn important life lessons while interacting with fun stories.

Stories have power yes, which is why the storyteller has a responsibility to use this power effectively and in ways that do the most good. But the responsibility doesn't end with the storyteller. It only starts there. Once the storyteller has done their part, it is up to the audience - the reader, the viewer, the listener - to do what any storyteller hopes their audience would do - absorb and react.

So this responsibility of storytelling is shared by both the teller and the listener. 

Storytellers do what they do because it matters to them. It's how they contribute to the society, which itself is a really, really complicated story that we keep modifying whenever we feel like it needs to change.

We need stories - new and old - to continue our survival, so we must also need storytellers -  new and old. Because storytelling is the sole medium that allows us to examine our past, comprehend our present, and shape our future - as a species. 

During these workshops that I do with students, I talk about two rules I have for telling stories, which I also describe as the two rules that differentiate lies from stories - 

Rule #1: Stories should not hurt people.

Rule #2: Stories should be convincing.

We - you and me - are storytellers already. So let's do what we do best, responsibly!

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