Stories matter!
Ideas may be forgotten and rediscovered. But stories last for eternity.
A story was told that a Jew had two children - Abraham and Ismail and the descendants of one became Christians, and the other became Muslims. Is it true? Maybe.
Another story was told that rich Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Was it true? We do not know. But that started the Christian persecution of the Jews.
Long ago, a story was told that Prophet Mohammad visited the “furthest mosque” on the divine horse called Buraq. It did not matter that there was no mosque in Jerusalem then, and the furthest mosque was actually one in Petra. But a story was told that the mosque was, in fact, in Jerusalem. So, the Al-Aqsa (which did not exist when the Prophet was alive) was built by destroying the temple.
A story was told that Jews left the land and later displaced the Palestinians. It did not matter that Jews actually purchased a lot of the land from Muslim landowners paying exorbitant prices.
A story was told that the Jews did not want a 2-nation solution. The reality was that the 2-nation solution was rejected by Palestinians at least four times.
It is through stories and repetition that the West is looking at Israel as “occupier”. Many are quick to condemn Israel for “genocide” of Palestinians.
But stories are not just about Israel and Palestine.
Stories were told about how the Islamic invaders “enriched” India. And the mounds of severed heads were lost. Barbarians became “cultured”.
Some fictional stories become histories, while some histories become mythical stories.
Some barbaric realities are made into romantic stories, while some victories are diminished.
Therefore, what stories we tell ourselves matters.