Puns, Poems, and Myths--why these three?

It must seem more than a bit odd or disjointed to see such seemingly disconnected components on one web page. But these elements really aren’t all that separate at their deepest level. Puns, poems, and myths all attempt to transcend “mere” language to get at the deeper something beyond. Beneath the surface of words, experience lurks.

Puns are language in life at play. Puns join two disparate words into one, Find the similarity between apparently different things, and laugh.

Poetry uses words to go beyond words. Despite what most high school English teachers say (and I’m guilty because I was one), poetry isn’t only about meaning or emotion or some such; instead, poetry uses the tools of language to craft an artifact that exceeds the words themselves and gets to the EXPERIENCE behind them. Meaning is a part of that. Emotion might be a part of that. Being human is a part of that! Poems, through metaphor, find the essence of one thing in another.

And Myths? I love myths--not just tales of flighty Greeks sporting togas, but stories from all cultures and times that deliberately flaunt the fake on the outside to explore the true on the inside.

Having taught high school English for twenty-eight years, I now enjoy exploring and sharing with people of all ages and backgrounds how myth and story influence our everyday lives--even when we think we are beyond such things. Turning to myth, we find ways to help us through and enjoy life's passages.

Folk and fairy tales, personal stories, classical myths, biblical and Buddhist and sufi tales--these stand as entertaining and edifying stories themselves or serve as the cornerstones for thematic presentations. Some program titles include: "The Mythology of Success," "Understanding Teens Through Myth and Story," "Myth and the Second Half of Life," "Restorying Education: Why Testing Isn't Enough," and "The Mythic Source of Creativity."

For young people, Ron can craft a presentation that combines storytelling, worksheets, aspects of mythology, and information about how initiations once helped young people find or enhance their sense of place, purpose, motivation.

Ron is available for motivational speaking, storytelling, and leading customized workshops for all ages.

Contact me at: [email protected]