Every four-year-old caught with a stolen chocolate has the right instinct. Go with a whopper. Given a choice between a contrite confession or a good story, most of us will take the story. Why? Because stories are elastic, creative, and, if inventive enough, we can’t help ourselves. We admire the effort. The video says it all: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysN_Z1xQq4w] Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on

We tell stories to share what matters, to try to make sense of what doesn’t, and to connect to others.   Here’s the problem: stories have the power to shape the way we see the world. So unless we pause, once in awhile, and ask “why that story” or “why that story told that way,” we may find ourselves living someone else’s version of who we are. Because stories look different from different angles, we...

    I know someone who claims to hate all stories because they’re embellished, exaggerated. Not true. Just elaborate lies.   She’ll have her mud puddles pristine, thank you. Never mind that the experience of splashing in one has always been more about a feeling of freedom than wet dirt. It’s the fun, not the mess, that matters. And, yes, most of us will lie about how the mud got on our shoes if we don’t think the real...