 program, our video podcast discussion or whatever we decide to call it, where we talk about this week's featured program. And this week's featured program, if you haven't already seen it, is World Stories to Help You Learn. And in that program, well, I won't spoil it. But you can see that program on our YouTube channel or follow along with the words on our site, www.spotlightenglish.com. And today in this program, we're going to have a conversation about that program so you can dive a little deeper. I'm Liz Wade. And with me is Adam Navas. Hi, Adam. Hello, Liz and hello, everyone watching this on YouTube. We are once again thrilled to be with you talking about some of the things we couldn't include in the program, some thoughts we have about the program. And we are, this is, I don't know which episode this is, but we're in the, we're under five, right? However, this is, this is falling. And so like, like Liz said, we haven't really figured out a name, but this is really two native English speakers talking about the program, which you've probably, we would encourage you to listen to this program prior to watching this video. Yes. And you can find the program in the program description below. And you can also find it. We're going to link it up here somewhere. And you can click, you can click on a link up there and find the program as well. And you can also, if you want a little bit faster version, you can check out the advanced version and then check out this discussion. So, Adam. Yes. I know this is, well, this is a program that I wrote, but I know it's a program that you will love because I know that you love stories. I do. I have done some, some schooling, some study on stories. I think that story and storytelling is an important part. I've tried to, whenever I write a spotlight program, I try to find a good story. I think they're engaging. And I'm very excited to hear about what motivated you to write this program and kind of what you hope people take away from this program. Well, I will say that I did not know this before I started researching for this program, but World Storytelling Day is on March 20 every year and people all around the world celebrate this day. So, in Australia and Europe and in the United States and places in Africa, I mean, all around the world, people come together in their spaces usually, not online. And they just celebrate storytelling. And what was interesting to me when I started researching this program is story just covers so many different things, right? It covers, say, William Shakespeare, right? So, very complicated stories and all sorts of different things like that, but also myths and legends. So, like ancient stories that people have told for many, many years and they tell for lessons and to teach people things, but also stories that are like your personal stories. So, stories that you might have about your life or an experience that you had and what that does for you and sharing your experience can help you lessen the pain of it or teach other people. Anyway, so I thought that was super interesting that how do you celebrate this thing that has so many different facets? Yeah. So, in this program, I'll let you talk at it. In this program, we just focus on three simple stories that help people learn a lesson or that teach you a lesson, maybe something to think about a little differently. And then I think one of my favorite stories was the first story. So, we can talk about that later, but... Yeah. Well, I'll tell you why I love stories is because, well, often we think of stories as something for children, right? And I think this program, because of what spotlight is, they are simple and stories are simple. They can be simple. Well, they're maybe not simple stories. They're just told in a simple way, right? Your story can have a couple different levels, even with just simple English. Of course. And I think I mean children understand stories before they understand big complex mathematical equations. Hey, I missed you. When you tell your child, I missed you. That's kind of a story there. I was gone, now I'm back, and this is how I feel, right? But stories have an ability to expand and you can throw in complexity and characters. And one of the things that I love about talking about stories is that you can have stories where you do not like the people. There's been a lot of... And people are like, I don't like that story because that person made bad decisions. There are different parts of a story. I want to point out there's like different parts of a story, right? Like there's the characters and there's the plot and there's maybe, I don't know, you know more about stories. Descriptive language, the setting. Yeah, descriptive language. So you're saying like if you maybe don't like one part of the story, one part of those ingredients, maybe somebody wouldn't like a story. Yeah. And I get excited to be like, well, what's happening inside you? Because we all know that a story, whether it's a movie or a TV show or a book we're reading or something I'm telling you, well, maybe not that's something I'm telling you. That could be a story that actually happened. But a lot of these stories are just made up, right? If you read a scary story that has monsters or aliens, you know it's not real, but you still feel feelings. And I think that's just fascinating that it can evoke emotion. You know, it's one of the few things I think music might be the other that really evokes emotion in people. If you're reading a book about a cook book, it's usually not a like you actually feel you might get excited to cook and to eat. Yeah. Do you have any stories that you would say I have felt an emotion, whether it's a book or a movie or something? Well, you know, sometimes stories are told through television. And I will often, I will often, this is so embarrassing. I cry a lot during television. Really? A lot. Oh, yes. I just feel so overwhelmed with emotion about, yeah, when somebody dies or when somebody's having a very tough emotional time. If the story is well told, and you know, the characters are convincing, that can that can make me very emotional. But I also have that with books. Sometimes I did read a book in in college, where it made me so angry, I had to put down the book because I could not I could not read it at that moment anymore. And of course, I read it, I read it later. But I was getting so emotionally like, overwhelmed and angry that I just had to put it down. Yeah. Well, there's two things. One, there's something called mirror neurons. Have we talked about this before? Well, we haven't, but we have a program about mirror neurons. And about this feeling that we're talking about when you read about someone's story and but the it's called reading and understanding. And you can check it out. I'll link it up here somewhere. No, that's what happens to when you when you read a story or you experience, it's you're actually having a very similar experience to those people with what causes you to relate to people. And I think it's interesting. Certain people in, let's say, public settings who are leaders of certain countries when asked, what's the last book you've read? It's not super important. I always get let me just say this a different way. If I meet someone and I ask them, what's what's the latest book you've read or what what kind of TV show? If they don't read stories, if they say, I don't like stories, I only read nonfiction. That fact facts, right, books about history or which their story and history too. But I get really concerned. I've met a few people who are like, I just don't like fiction. And I'm very concerned about that because it really does create empathy in people about, you know, we've gotten to meet people through this channel through spotlight, that we've got to travel a little bit. And that's one way of meeting people and expanding your world. But if you can't do that, especially in a pandemic, if you're not engaging with stories, you just you kind of turn in on yourself. And that's not that's not a good way to live. Yeah, yeah, it's true. I have heard that that sort of thing before that, you know, empathy is so important to to people, right, to society. And if we don't read stories, we don't get exposed to as much of that empathy. Right, you just have such a small world that you think everybody just like you. Yeah, you can see why people are celebrating storytelling, right? Exactly. You can see why it's such an important, important thing. And I think there's also, you know, if you think about the kind of story that comes from a personal story. Again, I love listening to there's a radio program about where people just tell their stories, they have maybe half an hour or 10 minutes. And they have to pick a story from their life and they have to tell about it and tell it in an interesting way. And I love listening to that sort of program, because I feel a little bit too like not only feeling their emotions, but like, I don't know what a simpler word would be, but like it feels a little voyeuristic, like I'm spying on them, right? I think it's a gift. You're receiving the gift they're giving. That's true. That's true. That's a better way of a more positive way. That's a creepy way. I'm not looking in their window as they... No, I'm not looking in anybody's windows. No, I think the power we know in our hearts, the power that stories have. So I know that you are a big fan of Star Trek, right? Oh, why are you guys making me so nervous? No, no, no, no. Own it. So I could say Star Trek is great. And that is a fact. And you might be, you could agree or you could disagree. But if I told you the story that every Saturday, my family came home. And at 7.30, we turned on the television and we watched Star Trek together. And I could smell and I started using like all the smell. My mother would make grilled cheese sandwiches. And so now we're drawing in taste. And it's telling you, that's not something you have to argue with. I'm sharing it. It is a gift, the gift of your story that you're telling with people. And we know this. When I say, Liz, how are you doing? You don't say, I mean, sometimes you say good, but you'd be like, oh, today has been crazy. Or today, this happened. You tell me a story. This is how we talk. You know, that's interesting that you say it that way, that stories are a gift for us, right? Because that is, that's how this program begins. With stories not existing in the world. And of course, this is a story. So I mean, it is here to teach us a lesson. But it starts with this, these children who are saying, tell us a story in the, the mother and father don't have any stories. And she goes on this, on this long journey and asks everyone she knows and animals and, you know, travels very far and wide. And then eventually after, after giving the spirit people a gift, she gets the gift of stories. And even though it's such a simple, a simple explanation, it makes me feel like when I hear that, even just telling it now, I'm like, oh, what a gift. Yeah. Like, what a, what a thing that we're able to do. I don't know. I think it's a, I think it's a great story. Yeah. About how stories came to be, which is a story. Yeah. I think that's, that's phenomenal. And I think that is, I mean, for anyone who's learning a language to be able to tell a story in, say, English is a big deal, right? Like not just to order coffee or, or to do a statement, but to say, you know, this happened and then this happened. I felt this way about it. That's a, that's a big deal because you're, you're communicating something in that language that is very personal in a way that ordering coffee might not be. And I think, yeah, we, so if you're watching this and you have, I would challenge you, like, tell us the story about, it can be a few sentences, right in the comments, what is the story about what you're doing right now as you watch this. It could be, I'm sitting at my desk. I'm watching this and then describe some things around you. Tell us what you're going to do when you're done with this video. Just tell us a little story. The story of your day. The story of your day. Just write it in the comments and we'll try to respond to as many as we can. But we'd love to hear a story from you and. Yeah. Or, or even if you don't want to tell a story from your day, maybe you're just having a really boring day or you don't want to tell anybody about it. Tell us a story from your culture. I know that plenty of us have stories from that are passed down or something that your, your parents used to tell you or grandparents or something like that, because I think those stories are so interesting too. Or even just a story that you've read from Shakespeare or. Yeah, favorite story. Any, any story. And so it's good to practice. So that's great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I hope you've enjoyed this conversation about stories. I know that I have so much more to say, but I think we've run out of time. So yeah. Yeah. And I know that Adam has a lot to say about stories. I could go on and on and on. Maybe we could make this like an hour long discussion. Oh, Adam, you were telling me about a book that you had that I really do actually want to want to talk about. So this book. Now, I'm not showing you this book because of how big it is. It is. Yeah. I'll be honest. I have not read this entire book, but the seven basic plots, why we tell stories. It reduces all stories to seven. Overcoming the monster, rags to riches, which means you were poor. And then you find success. The quest, which is like, you've got to go out and, you know, become an adult or find a treasure. Accomplish something. Voyage and return. So there's, if you think of, what's it, the odyssey. You travel away and then you come home again, changed. Right. Comedy, which is just funny stories. Tragedy, which are sad stories. And then rebirth. It's basically the opposite, maybe the riches to rags to riches. Yeah. So I think it's interesting to say what kind of story is this and how does that influence how we hear it and how we, yeah, how we can tell our own story. Because I think one of the things about stories is that we often have a story in our own brain about our own lives. Where is Adam in his story? Where is Liz in her story? Is she down low? Is she going up or is everything good? And it's about to crumble. And we tell these stories all the time. How was your day? Oh, it's bad. Oh, it's great. They're little stories we tell. Yeah, it's true. All right. We can go. Again, I have so much to say here. So much. But yeah, we just fill up YouTube, I think. Thank you to you for joining in this discussion. And we really hope that you leave some comments below telling us stories that you have enjoyed stories about your life. Give that a try in the comments. Or you can always email us at contact at spotlightenglish.com or leave a comment on any of the programs at that website as well. Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any content from us. And click the little bell so you'll get a notification every time that we put out a new video. You won't miss anything. And then you can find our programs on our website, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. So somewhere around there. Yeah, let us know you're listening. Thanks a lot. Thanks.