Season 2 | Ep 23 | Truth & Falsehood | A Folktale from Greece

Golpo | Stories From Around the World

Which is the one story that teaches you about the dangers of lying?

Was it The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

Teaching someone to say the truth is a tricky task. Understanding what is a lie and when is it okay to lie and when not is even tougher. Have you ever wondered when and how did you learn to lie? Yes, I am assuming that like me, you too have sinned and lied at some point of time in your life.

To be human is to lie. And we all lie when we have to. Sometimes they are small lies. Sometimes they are big lies. Sometimes we lie to win. Sometimes we lie to hide our loss. The fact that we tell and accept each others lies is what makes us co-exist.

Lying is a sensitive topic. No one likes to be called a liar, whether in the classroom, in the living room or in the boardroom. Take this story to any space and it will make a few people uncomfortable.

The trick is how to talk about lying without making anyone feel like you’re pointing a finger at them?

I love this story because it doesn't moralise and tell you which of the two values / virtues is loftier. It ends rather ambivalently. You need to have a conversation with the listener to make sense of it.

If you want to explore complex themes of truth, lies, integrity, ethics and honesty, whether in the Classroom, Living Room or Boardroom, begin with THIS STORY.

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𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙥𝙤: 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.

Original Story Source | Favourite Folktales from Around the World, Edited by Jane Yolen.

Also Read | What gives Storytelling a BAD NAME?

Memory, Lying & Storytelling

Maladaptive Storytelling & Teens

Pathological Liars

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Until the next story...

Happy Storytelling!