We were curious why story sharing around a campfire still feels so valuable and uplifting to many of us. It is not only the actual campfire but it is the nighttime setting with dimmed light and a warm and intimate atmosphere that triggers the sharing of more personal or fictional stories. It is the moment where facial expressions and body language softens and where starry skies and red and orange flames stir our imagination. In an article in Smithsonian Magazine it was said that we can perhaps thank campfire story time for getting us where we are today.
This resonates very much with the impression I have when I imagine our ancestors sitting around a campfire. It used to be the moment where people form all ages came together to share experiences. Some so impressive that they stay with the people for a long time. Some so important that the actual story might save the life of someone present. Some so funny that people still feel light after the campfire has gone dimm and all have gone to sleep.
Campfire get togethers date back at least 400,000 years. It could be that these repeated interactions shaped entire cultures and gave us our aptitude for stories and song still very much alive in our culture today. So you might want to spend some of your summer evenings around a campfire where our past and our present stories are told and listened to.
X Barbara