Creation stories
Global Generation use cultural creation stories alongside the Universe story to bring about an understanding through connection, creativity and other shared values. The positive force of storytelling is inherent in our work and features in many of our workshops with young people and adults alike.
Using the values that are found in cultural creation stories, we encouraged our young people to come up with their own creation stories. Below is a creation story written by one of our Generators, Lily Baldwin, aged 17.
Asleep we dreamed of wonderful things for ever;
people lived and died for a long long time before anyone noticed.
Maybe a crab pinched their toe and they realised they were dreaming?
And then all was lost because nothing was real.
And however hard they tried to get back, tipping over backwards with their minds,
running into whirlwinds, fairy wings,
It was never the same.
So began the first search for a word;
to describe what this first loss meant
and this was when we first gave up.
What was the point? It felt wrong to wake everyone else (who you at least assumed were asleep), and, without a listener, what good would a word be said? (even if it could be found).
So hiding their tears they curled up in the dark
and fell into unhappy dreams
where they lived and died and nobody noticed
and just when the world warmed their backs – they'd be back
just as someone lost and missed touched hands-
all these people lived and died
and nobody was there to notice.
But finally, as someone twitched at the warm rain tumbled down in late august afternoon
or as they broke through a Cornish April's sea
and they bumped into the first thing on their right
Who tried its best to look annoyed
but only succeeded in looking so ridiculous that they both laughed.
So loudly that they woke up all the other things around
a ripple of yawns and groans and laughs
flooded their ears
and they all smiled to themselves as these words unwound into the distance
and some used lines and curves
or rhythm and tune
they messed around
with songs and drums and guitars
wide awake and tuned in
they set about noticing and describing amongst themselves
the beginnings of explaining
and although the often wished they were dreaming, and it would maybe be better that way,
they knew that in accidental consciousness
(although not consciously) they had created,
something worth waking up to notice.
Using the values that are found in cultural creation stories, we encouraged our young people to come up with their own creation stories. Below is a creation story written by one of our Generators, Lily Baldwin, aged 17.
Asleep we dreamed of wonderful things for ever;
people lived and died for a long long time before anyone noticed.
Maybe a crab pinched their toe and they realised they were dreaming?
And then all was lost because nothing was real.
And however hard they tried to get back, tipping over backwards with their minds,
running into whirlwinds, fairy wings,
It was never the same.
So began the first search for a word;
to describe what this first loss meant
and this was when we first gave up.
What was the point? It felt wrong to wake everyone else (who you at least assumed were asleep), and, without a listener, what good would a word be said? (even if it could be found).
So hiding their tears they curled up in the dark
and fell into unhappy dreams
where they lived and died and nobody noticed
and just when the world warmed their backs – they'd be back
just as someone lost and missed touched hands-
all these people lived and died
and nobody was there to notice.
But finally, as someone twitched at the warm rain tumbled down in late august afternoon
or as they broke through a Cornish April's sea
and they bumped into the first thing on their right
Who tried its best to look annoyed
but only succeeded in looking so ridiculous that they both laughed.
So loudly that they woke up all the other things around
a ripple of yawns and groans and laughs
flooded their ears
and they all smiled to themselves as these words unwound into the distance
and some used lines and curves
or rhythm and tune
they messed around
with songs and drums and guitars
wide awake and tuned in
they set about noticing and describing amongst themselves
the beginnings of explaining
and although the often wished they were dreaming, and it would maybe be better that way,
they knew that in accidental consciousness
(although not consciously) they had created,
something worth waking up to notice.
