Facts are boring that’s why most of us enjoy a good story instead. Yet when facts are woven into a narrative they are easier to put into context and integrate into reality. Marketing experts and politicians know this and have become great at using narrative to twist facts and distort reality. This has caused us as individuals, and humanity as a whole, some very unpleasant outcomes. We live in an era of media lies, government propaganda, corporate targeted marketing, social engineering, and global transformation. We must all learn how to clearly distinguish between narrative and reality.
Every myth is psychologically symbolic. Its narratives and images are to be read, therefore, not literally, but as metaphors. –Joseph Campbell
What is a Narrative?
Narrative is a story or mnemonic device that helps us tap into how our brains naturally remember and process data. Problems arise when things that are considered “true” within the context of a narrative are false in reality. Facing cognitive dissonance is inevitable. It is how we grow and evolve.
By nature a narrative is designed to only include ideas or information that support and strengthen “the narrative”. Narratives are about blinders and framing. Narratives invite us to suspend disbelief and discard information that does not fit the story. They allow us to simplify our world-view into naive delusions of good vs. bad and right vs. wrong.
We often choose to see information based on its’ context within the narrative rather than its’ context within reality itself. It can be difficult distinguishing between narrative and reality but it is imperative that we know how to do this.
Group-Think and Collective Narratives:
Shared stories are what binds communities, friendships, and nations together. This is healthy when these collective-narratives are based on facts and reality. Yet when they are disconnected from reality they become very destructive. Collective narratives can create new worlds yet they can also be used to justify atrocities like fascism, genocide, and ecocide.
Group-think is a natural result of being social creatures. A lack of self-confidence can lead to a need for social validation. That’s why adopting a collective-narrative is safe because it is an easy route to finding acceptance within the group. Sadly, discernment, self-reflection, and mental clarity are often discouraged in communities of group-think.
This tendency to seek acceptance is hard-wired for us social primates. Historically, being exiled literally meant death. Nobody would survive a long cold winter alone without the help of your community to survive. Today if you are “canceled” it can mean losing your job, your social status, your friends, and your freedom.
If a person over-identifies with a narrative we they often get an overblown sense of confidence. This righteousness is rewarded within the collective group-think because the group is defined by the shared narrative. This ends up creating silos of ideas without any external checks and balances. A healthy perspective always allows for dissenting perspectives.
Gatekeepers and leaders within the group often deny, ridicule, and oppose people who challenge the shared narrative. When taken too far people will become cult-like and begin dehumanizing others who are not in the group. This is when we need to notice the red flags…
“This they tell, and whether it happened so or not I do not know, but if you think about it, you can see that it is true.” ― Black Elk
Personal Narratives:
The core of your personal narrative is rooted in a combination of conscious and subconscious belief systems. Some of these belief systems existed before we were born. They can come from our family or the culture we are surrounded by. Basically your personal narrative is a combination of inherited collective-narratives, beliefs, and group-think. Discernment, self-reflection, and mental clarity are the best way to re-write these personal narratives.
Your personal narrative is how you curate your life experiences and recognize opportunity. Narrative is a filter that allows us to notice certain things that validates our worldview. It also allows us to keep a blind-eye to anything that does not support our personal narrative.
When we allow our beliefs to be challenged they will evolve quickly. If we refuse to do this our worldview can shrink and become distorted. That’s why welcoming a diversity of sources and friends is important. Staying open to dissenting critiques of our narrative is crucial and healthy.
Marketing Narratives:
Truth is multi-faceted and messy with layers of nuance. Truth-seeking requires questions, open debate, and challenges. Propaganda and marketing narratives are always clean, you are to trust them without question. These narratives are crafted to be easily adopted.
Yet in reality sometimes opposing ideas can both be true which can be confusing. This confusion is healthy because it keeps us humble and curious instead of rigid and self-righteous. This is the beauty of recognizing nuance instead of rigidly forcing the world to be viewed in black and white.
We have all heard the saying, “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.” If it sounds too good to be true it is probably a marketing narrative. I thought about writing separate sections about partisan political and religious narratives vs. facts but I think you can probably see how that works based on the examples above.
“We need myths that will identify the individual not with his local group but with the planet.” ― Joseph Campbell
A Grounded Approach:
It is the acknowledgment that we don’t truly know that allows us to explore and seek answers. Truth seekers tend to be more willing to welcome new ideas. Meanwhile simple answers like, “what is right/wrong”, or “who is the good guy/bad guy” are not always applicable.
Facts can evolve and truth can be messy. When conversing with others it is important to distinguish if: 1. You are on a fact-finding journey of truth discovery together or
2. If the conversation is actually about defending conflicting narratives.
Sadly it seems that most people spend more time defending their narratives and not enough time questioning them.
Stay Human
We humans forget too easily that it’s okay to not have all the answers. It is healthy to NOT take ourselves too seriously, humor is good medicine. Life is fluid. We are living in a time where everything we know is being redefined, it’s okay to question the answers.
When a narrative is coming from corporate media or the government then it is probably has a hidden agenda. Buy this, vote for that, fight for the good, extinguish the evil etc. These are simplistic narratives for simple minds.
Old paradigms are crumbling and new ones are emerging. So clinging too tightly to narratives is not recommended. It is okay to own your ideas, beliefs, and narratives but it isn’t always good if your beliefs own you. You are your own distinct being swimming in a realm of endless ideas. We are all just doing our best to keep it real.
Celebrate the questions. We are narrative-driven social beings. Stories will always be more exciting than dry facts yet we must stay connected to reality. Make time to step back, reflect, and strive for deeper mental clarity. This will keep you balanced on your path to becoming a master at knowing the difference between narrative and reality..
