The Lessons of Stories

What makes stories different from rules or commandments is that they communicate lessons and values through the lived experiences of characters. Stories don’t just teach us, “A kindness is never wasted.” They show what that feels like to experience. Stories highlight the complex life situations we face and the concrete outcomes that follow from our choices.

In The Lessons of Stories you will help us annotate “Moral Choice Cards” that provide information drawn from real stories from around the world about the goals and opposing forces characters face. Each card contains a concrete situation in which a character in a story strives to achieve a particular goal and whether they were successful. In each case your role will be to help identify the specific values that are promoted or sacrificed through these scenarios.