大象传媒

From Remona Aly, Freelance journalist and editor:聽
Zoe, hearing on your show how the esteemed Paul McCartney is publishing his first children鈥檚 book, it鈥檚 prompted me to step into the back catalogue of my own childhood classics. One of my favourites was called, 鈥楾he Great Blueness鈥�, in which a wizard paints the whole world which started as grey, into blue, then goes on to paint the Great Yellowness, then the Great Redness, and when all his paint pots get mixed up, the world becomes a canvas of multicolour.聽
I聽loved it when my parents used to read me this story, and now I read it to my nieces, who soak up the ideas, the pictures and the wonder into the sponge of their own imagination, just as I did when I was a little girl. Stories helped me inhabit different worlds, they let my mind take flight on a journey to the beyond. But as I got older, I realised that stories also led me back towards myself. I felt that recognition take root when I reflected on the stories in the Quran. I was in awe of how Moses, or Musa, overcame his fear to stand up to the mighty Pharaoh. I was captivated by the resilience of Mary, or Maryam, in bearing a child entirely on her own.聽
Being surrounded by such powerful stories, made me think I could find a story in myself. I know I鈥檓 no amazing prophet like Moses, but I have my own Moses moments when I seek to challenge the injustices facing me today. I don鈥檛 have a miracle child to guard like Mary had, but I do feel the urge to protect what is precious to me, like my faith, my family, and my freedom.聽
I reckon we are the storytellers of our own lives: we can write it beautifully, or badly - the choices are down to us. But most of all, I don鈥檛 want to forget how the potential for greatness is always within grasp. The 8th century born Islamic scholar, Imam Shafi said, 鈥淵ou say that you are just a body, but inside of you is something greater than the Universe.鈥� Whether we all live in a yellow submarine or a great blueness, the biggest adventure is on the inside.