Subject: Religious Stories

Posted by Linda Booth Sweeney on 7/15/2005
In Reply To:Religious Stories Posted by Prof. Dr. Niall Palfreyman on 7/14/2005

Message:

Dear Niall and all,

This is a wonderful and timely inquiry! Your collection of religious stories will be useful to so many.

I'm working now (as a follow up to "When a Butterfly Sneezes") on organizing adages and colloquialisms (for example: "what goes around comes around"), folk lore, myths, and excerpts from an array of favorite stories around recurring patterns of behavior such as Tragedy of the Commons, Shifting the Burden and so on.

You ask about about a story (suitable to children) to explore the theme of "violence begets violence." As part of my research, I found the story of Hercules and Pallas (an Aesop's Fable) to be an elegant and compelling way to explore the dynamic of escalation.

Here is the story:

Hercules, once journeying along a narrow roadway, came across a strange-looking animal that reared its head and threatened him. Nothing daunted, the hero gave him a few lusty blows with his club, and thought to have gone on his way. The monster, however, much to the astonishment of Hercules, was now three times as big as it was before, and of a still more threatening aspect. He thereupon redoubled his blows and laid about him fast and furiously; but the harder and quicker the strokes of the club, the bigger and more frightful grew the monster, and now completely filled up the road. Pallas then appeared upon the scene. "Stop, Hercules," said she.
"Cease your blows. The monster's name is Strife. Let it alone, and it will soon become as little as it was at first."

Moral..."Strife feeds on conflict."

I've used this story with my own children (great for a discussion of how one tease, leads to a poke, leads to a push and so on... and what a six year old can do to change the dynamic) and in a number of seminars with adults.

I'm slowly reading the Bhagavad Gita (with some help from a friend). If I find useful section, I will let you know.

Naill, I'm eager to hear what you find. Please do keep me updated on your progress.

If any members of this list have suggestions of myths, children's stories, fables, adages, or folk lore that can be used to spark a discussion of a particular system dynamic or archetype, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

My best,

Linda Booth Sweeney

Follow Ups:

Religious Stories - Clelia Scott 7/20/2005 
Religious Stories - Robert P. Giebitz 7/19/2005 
Religious Stories - Bill Ellis 7/17/2005