TITLE: Nobody Knows
IMPACT: Creates a quiet and reflective atmosphere and facilitates group members’
thinking about their individual responsibility for the group and the wider world;
introduces storytelling as a powerful medium for conveying important concepts
RISK: Low
GROUP SIZE: Any number
TIME REQUIRED: 15 – 20 minutes
DIRECTIONS: The group leader reads the following story to the group.
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was an old man. He lived in a small
log cabin hidden deep in a dark forest. Nobody knew just where the cabin was, which
was just the way the old man wanted it. Many others tried fruitlessly to find the place,
but the old man told Nobody.
The old man had a special secret; he had a rainbow collection that was very dear
to him, and he shared it with Nobody. It was a magnificent, magic collection of the
most beautiful, real rainbows anyone could ever see. He had a whole bunch of little
tiny ones--the kind you see on a sunny day when you throw water in the air. He had
some tall, skinny ones that he found after light showers on spring afternoons. And he
had a huge, wide one that rose straight up from the ground like a pillar and
disappeared into the clouds.
Nobody knew the value of the old man’s rainbows and the great influence the
collection could have on the rest of the world.
Nobody loved the old man, and the old man loved Nobody, so when it came
time for the old man to die, he passed his rainbow collection on to Nobody. Nobody
shared the magic and wonder of the rainbows with all the hopeless people. Nobody
taught others the value and art of collecting rainbows.
Is this a happy story or a sad story? Nobody knows.
DISCUSSION:
• Do you think the story is happy or sad? Why?
• What or who does the old man symbolize?
• What do you think the rainbows symbolize? If you were the old man, what
would your “rainbows” be?
• What is the moral of the story? Does the moral change with how you read the
story?
OPTION:
Reread the story, but substitute participant names for “Nobody.” Go around the room
and have individuals read the story aloud, one at a time, inserting their own names in
the place of Nobody, until each person puts his or her name in once. This can create
10 Lewis Street Lincoln, MA 01773 tel 781-259-8621 thefoodproject.org
Lincoln • Boston • North Shore
powerful changes in group members as they read and become aware of being
responsible to carry on something positive.
10 Lewis Street Lincoln, MA 01773 tel 781-259-8621 thefoodproject.org
Lincoln • Boston • North Shore