The Power of Stories Part 2

I have had more than one person ask for a reiteration of my thoughts on the power of stories. This, then, is part 2 on the subject.
The idea of power in stories is a new concept for me, but one that keeps cropping up in my reading and in my thoughts. Phil Cousineau in his book Once and Future Myths talks about the Power of Ancient Stories in Our Lives. Gordon Farrell in his book, The Power of the Playwright's Vision talks about the importance of the author's vision in a wold that has lost its unifying vision of life.

These are not new concepts. These thoughts go back to Plato, who believed that the author (and artist) had a sacred responsibility to influence his readers for the betterment of society as a whole.
Authors are many times so caught up in the art of writing they lose sight that their writing influences people to act and react. This is power. Any thoughts?

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