The Power of Stories and How They Can Save Us

Stories are part of every aspect of our lives. They can inspire, teach, instill fear, divide us, or unite us. They have the capacity to evoke any emotion. Without them, we would not be where we are today. They are one of the most powerful tools we have to create. Everything made by humanity began with an idea — and every war, genocide, and horrible thing humanity has ever done also began with a tale. On some level we all understand the power of stories. But how often do we think about how much they shape our lives as individuals, as a society, and as a world?

Perception, per Wikipedia, is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information to represent and understand the environment. Essentially, it is how we interact with the world around us. According to neuroscientist Beau Lotto, "our perception is basically a story," because "objects in the real world don't come with meaning."

From the moment we're born, we are inundated with stories imposed on us by those around us. We move through life inventing more of them about our experiences and observations, intertwined with the tales we've already adopted. These narratives become the beliefs that shape everything that follows — whether they are true or not. Many people live their lives dictated by narratives imposed by others, following the only path in front of them without realizing they could chart their own. Some decide they're okay seeing where life takes them and embrace the ride. Fewer still recognize the inherent power they have to create a new story — to challenge the stories they took on as personal truths without ever consciously choosing them.

The narrative in our heads is really a bundle of small stories compiled together that define how we show up to life. When we understand that some of them may not be true — that some are holding us back from what we desire — we open the door to new thoughts and possibilities. Those thoughts form new beliefs, which turn into new choices, habits, reactions, and behaviors, completely changing the trajectory of our lives.

If each of us is a macrocosm of stories woven from our experiences, perceptions, and the history in our genetics, then each of us is also a microcosm within society. Every life a microcosm of the world. These pieces intersect to create larger, more powerful structures: layers of stories and lives intertwined into monuments, empires, businesses, and legacies. Living entities that become larger than any one life. Governments, armies, religions, corporations — every seat of authority that directs the daily lives of large populations is built from lifetimes of people fueling its existence.

It is in the face of these giant entities that most individuals feel powerless. We believe we have no control because we aren't the ones directing these systems. Those are responsibilities for the bigger players — the presidents, CEOs, owners, and politicians in the seats of power that govern how we engage with each other and the world.

And throughout history, we've watched those seats of power — created to serve society — become corrupted over time. People who seek status for the sake of power rather than service slowly work their way in. As the tides change, a minority of bad apples becomes the majority. Even those with the noblest intent find themselves forced to bend to the nature of corruption just to keep up. What was once an entity built to serve the people becomes a position of authority in the hands of the self-serving. What can any of us do in the face of these egotistical giants?

Here is the answer: just as we can shed the stories imprinted on us at birth, we have the power to come together and retire the systems that no longer serve us — and to fuel the ones that expand freedom in our lives without taking it from others. We The People have always had that power. What we permit is what continues. Corporations only have power as long as we give them our time and money. Governments exist as long as enough individuals enforce their rules. Every organization and position of power lives only as long as people keep fueling it. And those in power for the wrong reasons know this better than anyone. They know that if the masses ever worked together, they could replace any system. Which means it's in their interest to keep us complacent — or fighting each other. To keep us focused on narratives of fear instead of on their abuse of the systems themselves.

Look around and you'll see it: society wants us either distracted from reality or fixated on the worst in the world and in our neighbors. Our media profits by dividing us for engagement. We argue about capitalism versus socialism, left versus right, individual freedom versus the greater good — falling into the trap of dichotomous stories that insist one side can only exist by eradicating the other. Unless we find a way for both sides of any situation to coexist, we will continue a cycle of destruction.

The corrupt systems win if we believe there are no alternatives. If we think we're stuck in a lose-lose, forced to pick the lesser of two evils instead of choosing what we actually want. In reality, all it takes to create something that serves both the greater good and the individual is a more inclusive narrative worth fueling. The truth is, most people want to do good and live a life of purpose without infringing on others. They just need to believe there is a viable path toward that future.

The first step to intentionally changing any system begins with a story — a little seed of what could be. Our economy, our governments, every organization we have, are just stories we bought into and fed with our time and energy. Thoughts and words are powerless until individuals invest something of themselves into the tale they wish to create. The Declaration of Independence was words on paper until the founders signed their lives away to a story about freedom and independence. People who believed in that vision rallied to it, willing to sacrifice everything so others could live in the future they imagined. From there, the little seed had the nutrients it needed to sprout into something real.

We see this all the time in individuals writing better stories for themselves — it's the whole premise of the American Dream. The everyday person working a 9-to-5, risking comfort for the chance to do what they love. Today more people can make a living doing what they love than perhaps ever before. But here's the question that keeps me up: could we write a story where even more people can? Could we imagine systems where everyone's basic needs are met — a foundation built on life having inherent value, instead of everyone having to prove their life is worth keeping fed?

That is why I'm writing. I believe there are stories we can create that put more freedom and inclusion into the world. Visions of structures that support everyone equally — that embrace nature, respect all life, and create a symbiotic relationship with everyone inside the system. A place where we have true freedom of choice because we are no longer slaves to our basic needs.

This is the beginning of that story.