Tim's Tales: This year's theme is The Right to be Human'

Storytellers from all over Scotland and beyond will come together to tell stories in the Scottish Storytelling Centre and other venues. As the festival website states, it will explore “our right to be human, and celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Storytellers, musicians and artists will join together in venues across the country to embrace this milestone, with tales of human courage and creativity, spoken with powerful words”.

Perhaps, given the state of the world just now, celebration is not the best term. But then again, the world is full of people who are good, whose compassion and sense of justice is a counterbalance to the awful things we are seeing.

Can storytelling be part of this? The Dalai Lama once said: “The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.” So here is a story.

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Once upon a time, there was a good person called the Seeker. She was perplexed as to why the world was in such a state of strife, war and hatred when there were so many good people in the world. Why does evil seem to triumph so often, she wondered. So she set out on a quest to find out.

She knew the palaces and great mansions of the rich and powerful would not give her the answer, for surely they were the source of the problem.

But where to seek wisdom on this issue?

On her travels, she met a wise Cailleach, who told her: “You must seek out humanity’s child to understand.”

“Where will I find humanity’s child?” asked the seeker.

“I will take you to the child,” the Cailleach said.

The seeker was led into a dark room with just a dim light. In the corner sat a young child. Most children this age would be playing but not this child. This child was shivering, not just with the cold but also with fear. No, not fear, with terror.

This child’s eyes had seen horrific things, deeds that grown-ups had done.

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Grown-ups are supposed to look after children and make them feel safe. But this child was terrified of grown-ups, this child was not safe and didn’t feel safe.

“Is this child Ukrainian?” asked the seeker.

“No.”

“Is this child Palestinian?”

“No.”

“Is this child Israeli?”

“No.”

“Is this child Sudanese?”

“No.”

“Is this child Syrian?”

“No.”

“Is this child a refugee?”

“No.”

“Is this child from the next street?”

“No.”

“Who is this child, then, and how is it possible that grown-ups could do this to a child, could allow this, tolerate it, support it? Surely the child’s own people must protect this child”

“This child does not have a people. This child does not have a nationality. This child does not have a religion, this child does not have a language or a skin colour, this child does not know politics or global strategic interest.”

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“Then who is this child?”

“This is humanity’s child.”

The seeker was confused.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“This child is everyone’s child, but everyone doesn’t love this child.”

“Can you explain?” asked the seeker, still confused.

“Whataboutism,” said the Cailleach.

“What is that?” asked the Seeker.

The Cailleach replied: “It’s what spins the evil which keeps this child in fear. This is how it works.

“If this child is Ukrainian, what about the Palestinian child?

“If this child is Palestinian, what about the Israeli child?

“If this child is Israeli, what about the Sudanese child?

“If this child is Sudanese, what about the Syrian child?

“If this child is Syrian, what about the refugee?

“If this child is a refugee, what about the child from the next street?

“That’s whataboutism. It means that although humanity’s child is everyone’s child, everyone doesn’t love this child. Their love depends on the child’s religion, the child’s language or skin colour. It depends on politics or global strategic interest. But humanity’s child doesn’t have any of these things, humanity’s child is just a child. Which is why everyone doesn’t love this child.”

The Seeker understood now.

“So, how do we change this?” she asked, “how do we get rid of whataboutism?”

“We place humanity above all else,” replied the Cailleach.

“What is humanity?”

“It is being human; it is compassion, it is understanding, it is empathy. It is recognising every child is the child of humanity. When people do this, humanity’s child will finally be loved and feel safe.”

“Is it possible?” asked the Seeker.

“I hope so,” replied the Cailleach.

“I hope so too,” replied the Seeker, “and I believe so. There are too many good people to make it otherwise.”