"Storytelling is inherently political"

"Storytelling is inherently political--and you have to draw your lines as to where your politics are. Even if something seems like a step forward in your career, if that's so many steps back in your perspective or your morality then you're losing the very thing you might have inside you that might be worth sharing with an audience."-Brit Marling

Those first four words stayed in my mind for years--to me, politics is about the articulation of desired action (because face it: a lot of politics is about how people say things and look rather than what actually needs to be done and how).

We might not think about it, but sharing a bedtime story says a lot about what someone believes or wants to believe:

That a child might trust in the vision we share with them. That we have the right and duty to take time with someone we care about to create or visit a world that few people get to see.

But if we're to believe the rest of the quote, you must expose yourself to new challenges and responsibilities as a storyteller:

It implies there's a level of will and preparedness you (and your community) need to muster in order to stand by what you care about to maintain those boundaries.

Sometimes you won't have the strength to do it on your own, but if you're fortunate, there will be folks who choose to stand up for the same because they know the story also speaks the truths found in their own lives too.

Sometimes, the best stories to tell are the ones you craft and share together.

......

"Storytelling is inherently political--and you have to draw your lines as to where your politics are. Even if something seems like a step forward in your career, if that's so many steps back in your perspective or your morality then you're losing the very thing you might have inside you that might be worth sharing with an audience."-Brit Marling 16:25
https://youtu.be/1H79-O1IxFA?t=985

I've heard this before but at the time just the first four words stood out: "storytelling is inherently political."

Hearing the rest (and finally 
I think in past moments my hesitation to stake claims

was out of conflict avoidance--

while I can muster what's needed to defend my position

I wasn't confident that I'd have the energy to at the time