The stories we tell

“A story is the shortest distance between a human being and truth.”
― Anthony de Mello

I like this quote, as there is so much encapsulated in this simple phrase that several books could be written from it. It demonstrates how we think, believe and behave through the narratives we hold and how we as humans are unable to see the truth of something, just a representation of it, which brings into question what truth actually is from the perspective of the observer.

I like telling stories to bring perspective and I use this in everything I do, where metaphor and analogy are core tools of my training methodology, no matter what I am training. Why this works is that the story becomes a bridge that connects the familiar to the unfamiliar, increasing the likelihood that the information will be retained and utilized.

In one of my jobs, I am a software product trainer and even there, I use a lot of stories to illustrate features, as it gives a personal visualization to trigger the memory when needed. The visualization is directed by the words and imagery I use, plus through my own actions and gets held in the imagination of the audience, to be recalled when they need.

"Catch phrases" of various kinds become mental landmarks, as like reading a book, people flesh-out their own characters based on personal experience and perspective. This way, it doesn't matter if there is variation in visual detail at the individual level, as long as the narrative has consistency across the group, each will conform to the set guidelines.

"Conformity" is often seen as a negative in social groups, especially if what is being normalized is harmful to the group or sub-groups within. Yet, when it comes to personal narrative and mindset, I see conformity as something we should think about in regards to whether our own actions are conforming to the beliefs we hold about ourselves.

For example, a lot of people will tell a story about themselves that is favorable, but not investigate whether their behaviors match up with the believed reality. Often, and I think especially these days where we can craft our own views of the world and represent ourselves digitally without activity being visible, there is a disconnection between the narrative we hold and the way we act.

From the outside, a person might be seen as a liar, but perhaps more importantly, this sets up the conditions for inner-conflict, as what we believe and what we experience do not align. If I believe myself to be hardworking, I expect that I will get the results of someone who works hard, but if I am not actually working hard, this is unlikely to be what I experience. This can leave a person feeling quite bitter with the world, as they think they are doing what it takes, but because the results aren't there, something "unfair" is happening.

"Fair" is a human narrative, nature is always fair. Nature is fair because it is completely indifferent to the past results and the future expectations of everything, it just does what it does in the moment with complete unawareness. In this way, the narrative of a "free market" works even when that market is heavily manipulated, because if the market is truly free, it isn't contained by any rules (other than natural law) applied to the market itself, it is unbounded, leaving it open for people to influence in any way they can influence it. Of course, this is not what we mean by a "free market" though, as we will apply the engineered sense of fairness into the mix, effectively rendering the market manipulated and controlled by our own definitions, our own applied narratives.

I think that a lot of people hold concepts of what is fair, but they will naturally limit it to their own experience and perspective, applying it as if it is a global truth. Obviously, truth doesn't actually care about what we think, it just is what it is, whether we see it or believe it, or not.

But, when our own experience doesn't match up with our belief system of poorly cobbled narratives, we can get the sense that we are being treated poorly, that we are being victimized. I have seen this a lot on Hive over the years where there is an expectation of result based on the work performed, yet there is no consideration as to whether the work performed is what leads to the expected result. These people feel hard-done-by and act as if the system is broken, even though the exact same system handled differently, works for others. It can be kind of like using a hammer as a jigsaw and wondering why the cuts aren't neat and clean.

If we want to change our outcomes, it is possible to take two main paths - change the environment, change ourselves. It seems that many people will spend a great deal of time trying to change their environment without spending much on themselves, which is natural, because their held narrative about who and what they are is telling them that they are right. It doesn't matter if the narrative is misaligned with their behavior, the belief in it can overpower the observation of their own reflection.

Several people come to mind in this regard, on and off chain, but there always seems to be the same process in play - "I will do what I want". There is nothing wrong with this approach, but since there is consequence to action, if what is done doesn't lead to the outcome wanted, there is a disconnect between now and tomorrow. And, since the person is more interested in doing what they want and having expectation for result without regard to the environment they interact with, they tend to become bitter and rebel against the system. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, unless one still wants specific results that can only be achieved through certain kinds of activity.

On Hive for example, I have heard a few people over time talk about all the work they have done or how consistent they have been, but haven't got the results that other people enjoy. However, they don't factor in what they have done or how they have done it consistently. Often, this doesn't factor in the attention economy and who they are attracting with their activity. They seem to forget that Hive factors in social dynamics and various kinds of people react and interact with various kinds of content, activity and behavior. Some people create a desert and expect it to rain. How unfair.

But, we all tell stories about ourselves and the world and despite all kinds of external manipulations and influences, it is up to us to manage our own views of the world and act accordingly. Reality itself might not be knowable to us as we filter the world and can never see it truly raw, but our reality is our own - and ownership means taking responsibility for it, including understanding that what we believe is true, doesn't make it truth, as it might just be another story we tell ourselves.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]