Stories, myths, and parables acknowledge and respect the unique individuality of each of us. Myths give voice, through their use of symbols, to what is hidden, unknown, or evasive. Stories that share the dynamics of human interactions silently plant a seed of personal truth in the dark component of each of us, waiting for the appropriate time to bloom and to nourish. They also illustrate the universal theme of suffering and its resolution. Parables, with their multiple levels of meaning, honor the unique perspective and understanding of both listener and speaker. These multiple layers of meaning touch what is salient to the reader and thus gift all readers with an invitation to define for self their own understanding, interpretation, and application.
The story of the Veranda provides an example . . .
once upon a time in a peaceful village people would gather during the lunch hour to rest, eat their afternoon meals, and exchange village news and gossip. In the village square, some people chose to sit on the grass, others rested in the shade of a large tree, while some chose to sit underneath a century-old veranda. One afternoon without warning tragedy came to the village. Five people died and two were seriously injured when the veranda broke loose and fell to the ground.
Before the end of the day, rumors, myths, and suppositions began to formulate from questions such as why that particular veranda? Why that particular day? Why that particular time? Why those particular people and not others? Does the heavens hear the cries of so many suffering souls? Why does the heavens remain silent as weeping and yearnings fill the universe? What needs to happen for one to be comforted by heaven’s truth of life and death?
These universal questions which have failed to ease suffering have given birth to myths of old.
Excerpts from B Koeford, A Meditative Journey with Saldage
a meditative journey 
We are all individuals…. thank goodness. 🙂
and at the core of us, there are more similarities than differences.