The Story of Stories
We love stories. In fact we crave stories. There is an innate power in a story. They are our best teachers.
Structuring our experiences
When our lives are punctuated by confusion where we do not understand what is going on, we realise that if we put our thoughts and experiences into the form of a story which reflects how we have got to this point, it brings clarity. We are able to ‘see’. Our lives begin to make sense. We experience control. We regain calmness.
It is the same when we experience conflict. Our disordered, messy, and sometimes violent thoughts and feelings when put into the form of a story gives structure to our point of view. We begin to see the conflict from a distance. There is a certain objectivity. The chaos is contained. We begin to relax. We know where we stand. As Brian Muldoon states
“Stories may very well be the basic organizing structure of human experience.”
Understanding our Life story
However, even though the structuring of our experiences in the form of a story brings perspective, we need to be aware that our past experiences have been filtered through our Mental Models. It is our version of the truth of our lives. We create this truth through our Mental Models.
As Peter Senge has stated
“Mental models are the images, assumptions, and stories which we carry in our minds of ourselves, other people, institutions, and every aspect of the world.”
Mental models not only determine what we see but also how we act. For instance if we hold the assumption that people can’t be trusted because of a bad experience we have had, we will create our life story around this assumption and behave towards people as if they cannot be trusted. We need to prove that our assumption is correct. And until we are not ready to question the validity of this assumption we are stuck in this story which is not very fulfilling.
Search for a Meaningful Story
We need to create fulfilling stories of our lives. Each of us has been called to discover our purpose in life. To discern meaning in our lives. We find our own unique meaning based on our circumstances, our relationships and our experiences. It is said that most people ‘seek success in the first half of life while seeking to find significance in the latter half of life’. However we need to be acutely aware of becoming instruments in the service of life and not death. Otherwise one could very well turn out to be a Hitler instead of a Gandhi. The choice is ours.
Stories and Values
Stories create the world of values. The truths of life get revealed through stories.
Don Quixote one of the greatest stories ever written tells of a Spanish landowner who was greatly influenced by reading fictional tales about knights of ancient times, which he believed to be true. He too wanted to be like these knights of yore. So he dressed like one and began to attack windmills which he thought were giants. Through personification he saw them as giant foes needing to be defeated. He gave purpose to his life as one who fights the injustices in this world. He didn’t bother whether people were good or bad but went out of his way to help them in their misfortunes. As he says
“The objective of a knight errant is to defend maidens, protect widows, assist orphans and relieve the distressed. In this he is not to judge men, not to think of their goodness or badness but only of their misfortunes.”
Don Quixote found meaning as a ‘hero’ who fights against the dehumanization of this world. He took up the cause of the disadvantaged. He went after achieving significance.
Brand Stories
To market brands, marketeers too resort to stories. Consumers don’t buy facts. They buy compelling stories. Stories that are consistent and authentic.
Apple is a story of two guys on a mission working in a garage to bring computing power to the common man. Apple is profoundly humanistic. It’s committed to the use of computers in education. Bringing power to the people through technology. Making it simple yet sophisticated in design and aesthetics. Steve Jobs told Walter Isaacson, his biographer, that he was “on one of my fruitarian diets,” when he conceived of the name and thought “it sounded fun, spirited and not intimidating.” The 1984 ad campaign positioned Apple as “a symbol of counterculture — rebellious, free-thinking and creative”. It was based on George Orwell’s novel titled “1984”. It used the themes of freedom vs. control, and stagnation vs. innovation in a one minute ad. But it is still talked about today. Because the story has not changed. Apple subsequently used great leaders like Cesar Chavez, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama to support its effort in making people “Think Different”. Today Apple is more than a brand. It’s a movement. Its story evokes extraordinary loyalty.
We need a new story
Today we are experiencing a very deep crisis of meaning. We do not know where life is going. We’re stuck in a story which is not giving us fulfillment as human beings, and something in us wants to break free of it. We need a new story. A story that inspires us to discover what is our purpose here on this earth.
