Greek story time...with Yanis Varoufakis

 Yanis Varoufakis

I watched a video yesterday of Yanis Varoufakis, he was asked a question about can Europe be saved, instead of answering yes or no, he told a story, this story...

The Cumaean Sibyl
Ancient Rome's Great Priestess and Prophet

Centuries ago, concurrent with the Fiftieth Olympiad and the Founding of the City of Rome, an old woman arrived incognito in Rome. She came to see King Tarquin.
She told him that she came on business, which she then clarified for him: she came to see him on the business of the state. She offered to sell him nine books. Her price was three hundred pieces of gold.

The king couldn't believe his ears. Nor his eyes. "Books? What books?" She was such an old woman!
"I want to sell you nine books," she told him. "They contain the destiny of the world."
The king still could not believe his ears. "The what?" he asked.
"The future of the world," she told him in simpler terms. "My books contain the destiny of the world."
"Even so," said the king. "The price seems too high..."

A few weeks later -- for the old woman had to journey all the way from Rome to Cumae, which is on the north hook of the Bay of Naples, and then, all the way back, crossing the farm lands of Campania -- she presented herself again at the audience chamber of King Tarquin.

"What now?" he impatiently asked. She was really an old, old woman.
"I offer you six books for sale," she answered.
"How much?" he asked.
"I told you. Three hundred pieces of gold."
"Too much."

Some time later, for the old woman was not as young as she used to be, and the roads between Cumae and Rome are very long roads in any century, she presented herself again at the court of King Tarquin.

"I can offer you three books," she told the king.
"How much?" he inquired.
"Same price. Three hundred pieces of gold," she said.
"What happened to the other six," he asked.
"I burnt them," she said.

King Tarquin bought the three remaining books, which contained the destiny of the world, for three hundred pieces of gold, from the old woman. She was the Cumaean Sibyl in person.

Then he asked her to rewrite, or to have reconstituted, the other six books.

"No," was her reply.
After he had read his three books, he asked her again. "No," she repeated.

Thus, great Rome rose to be a kingdom and subsequently flourished as a republic, which conquered Gaul under Julius Caesar. Then Rome inaugurated its worldwide empire. That Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Forum. And all these centuries, Rome expanded but never knew its destiny, until it finally collapsed. What wisdom might have been gleaned from those six burnt books?

Apparently, we have to our best with whats left of the blunder of the European economic crisis?

I thought it was interesting that he would tell a story, but whats new in that? People have been doing it for thousands of years
I remember listening to a podcast, a few years ago, a woman was explaining if you want to keep your memories, put them in stories.

We all tell each other stories, we tell our self stories, its just a story, you can change it, change yourself, change your routine and your life.


Warren Buffet, a financial guru tells stories

Warren speaking



If you show this storytellers picture, no one will try and kill me, cool huh?

The Lord Buddha told stories, he told the same story in different ways, depending on the person he was telling it, quite clever


Jesus told some stories, they put them into a book, its the worlds best selling book for some time (google it yourself)

Jesus hanging out

Stephen Fry tells stories, this is a good one!!!



Yo, whats the story G?

Google when hiring people ask interviewees to explain complex ideas in the way an eight year old would understand., if it doesnt make sense to a child, it wont make sense


Ray Charles said he liked country music as the songs told stories




Paintings by Aboriginals in Australia, tell stories and of course they tell stories

The painting tells the story of people travelling to a meeting to learn about setting up their own businesses. The meaning of various symbols used on the painting is also explained under the main painting, below. 

 Source:

Of course a story is a very clever way to give someone information to help them make their own decision, your not telling them anything, your just singing in the shower, maybe in the rain? 

My favourite story has a Ute in it

A Ute

I was on a chair lift in Falls Creek in 2000, i girl i shared a ride in the lift up the mountain told me her mother was a cleanser in a motel in New Zealand, her father was a handy man and she was conceived in the back of a Ute (truck) next to a hoover,

I´m not really sure what the story means, but it always makes me laugh, maybe that's the point?