Walking the Tango Labyrinth, Part 4: The Whole Truth

Every time I am asked to dance, I have to choose what I will be: blank slate, con man, illusionist, daredevil …

… or puppet?

I do not come to the dance to tell my own story. I come to be a character in yours. You are the storyteller; I am the puppet.

That’s the half-truth that makes it a lie.

Nobody gets out of it that easily. Everything is steeped in story.

If you come to the dance as a blank slate, a con man, an illusionist, that in itself reveals your story. Ditto me and the whole puppet thing.

We are characters in one another’s story. I help you tell your story; you help me tell mine.

But consider this: We write the stories as we read them. We believe that the story as we read it is the story that is there. Every story I read is a story I make up, and that includes the story you bring to the dance.

And this: Strong-willed puppets get ideas of their own. They can turn the story on you.

And this: We all are skilled storytellers. We know how to lie.
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