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How are the stories around you influencing you?

We are constantly bombarded by stories. They come in different forms, shapes and guises.
I am listing below some sources of stories:
  1. TV-soaps, movies, news, reality shows---
  2. Movies
  3. Colleagues tell you of their stories
  4. Friends sharing with you their various encounters/events
  5. Bosses narrating you of your peers
  6. Your peers narrating you of your boss
  7. News paper
  8. Magazines
  9. Video games
  10. Internet
  11. Advertisements
  12. Commercials
  13. SMS
  14. Radio
  15. Music

The list can go on and on.

Why am I writing a post on stories?

It is because stories are the most powerful form of influence. Let me give you an experiment which you can try from this moment. Try to keep a count of the number of stories you encounter from different sources from this very moment to the time you retire to bed today. You will be amazed at the outcome.

Each of the stories you hear day in day out has tremendous influence on you. The influence works subconsciously. The stories you hear are shaping you either for good or bad. The only way to channel it to good is to do some kind of reflection and process the stories.

Think about it! What are the major stories that have influenced you to become the person you are right now?

Do share your experience in the comments.

2 comments:

Hikaru said...

First of all, you are right when you say that the number of stories we heard from different sources is quite a lot in just a day time.

I just want to share just a minor (not major) story of one of the PETRONAS ads. All of PETRONAS ads have been known as touching and always meaningful by people in my country. And I’m going to talk about this particular one:

You can watch it for free at

THIS LINK


If you can’t understand the language, I guess I can give a picture of it. The ad starts with the male doctor release the old man to rest in his daughter’s house. But then, the man insisted to get back to his own home.

Anyway, his daughter asks him to come and live with her family. She even promises him to take a good care of him until he really is healthy again. As soon as he heard this, her husband ask her can’t he stay in the hospital at least until after Raya (this is a celebration by muslims, commonly known as Eid ul Fitr). Unfortunately for the husband, the public hospital is always full, so there is no way that his father-in-law should be allowed to stay once he is stable.

Then, they show several scenes of the family having dinner (actually at first it is them breaking fast, so we can say it is dinner too) and the old man keep breaking glasses and making messes and things like that.

He husband and wife have finally had it and they isolated the old man, providing him with his own table, and his own dining set, which is made of plastics. And they let him to eat alone.

And the couple finally realized their mistakes when their own children are imitating their unfair treat to the old man by saying that when they grow up, they will let their parent to eat alone while they are enjoying their meals inside of the house. Obviously they have sent the wrong message to the little children.

And now I’m telling you how this ad has influence me in a way. I do have parents, who are apparently old and they often get sick and being admitted into hospital every now and then. When I saw this ad, I made a resolution that when I’ve fully grown up (apparently I still didn’t finish my tertiary education and I’m jobless) I won’t treat them like that. I mean, that is far beyond humanity, isn’t it? I will take a good care of them.

Well, maybe that is too early to say anything ambitious like that. But then, right now, I try my best to fulfill my parents’ wishes. For example, once I was too busy with my study and I’ve been busy for weeks, and I’ve been away from home for quite a long period, I simply don’t have time for anyone. But then, my mom calls me and asks me to sit right by her side and just accompany her. Not much to ask. I mean, she didn’t ask me to hike up Mount Everest, did she? I was just going to say no but when I remember this ad, I couldn’t say no. What would I feel when my children do the same to me in the future?


p/s: I’m putting this comment in my blog post too, I’ve got your permission for this right?

Anonymous said...

I agree that the stories you hear are shaping you either for good or bad. I admit that my beliefs and my opinions are from the things that i've read and the list that you gave is one of the major ones. especially internet. lol. nice entry. i learned =)