Today, we're going to think about how to think in stories. Think as if everything is connected in a very big story. This podcast, in fact, is a very big story, one that is unfolding as you're listening. One story that you're part of. You just don't know it yet...

I want to talk about narrative thinking. In his book, the truth about stories: A Native Narrative, Thomas king writes: "We wrote knowing that none of the stories we told would change the world. But we wrote in the hope that they would." This of the pandemic, WW II, 9/11, the Vietnam war, the me too movement, the bible. All those are stories, and they are what shapes our imaginary.

In fact, in his book, Tomas King compares a native creation story to the genesis.

The native story goes like this: one where the Earth begins as nothing but water, and a curious woman named Charm falls from the sky world above. As she tumbles down toward the endless ocean, the water animals—ducks, turtles, otters—work together to save her. With their help, Charm creates land from a handful of mud brought up from the depths by brave Otter, spreading it on the back of Turtle, who becomes the foundation of the world.

Later, Charm gives birth to twins, one light and one dark, who shape the world through their contrasting natures—smoothing and sculpting, balancing order and chaos, light and shadow. Together, they create the world as we know it: mountains and rivers, forests and seasons, animals and humans.

It’s a story about curiosity, cooperation, and balance—and about how the world was built through both harmony and tension.

Now compare to the genesis:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, let there be light, and there was light.

God creates night and day, the sun and the moon, all the creatures of the world, and finally, toward the end of his labours, he creates humans. Man first and then woman. Adam and Eve. And he places everything and everyone in a garden, a perfect world. No sickness, no death, no hate, no hunger.

And there’s only one rule. Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. One rule. Don’t break it. But that’s exactly what happens. Adam and Eve break the rule.

In the genesis, there are no talking animals, no balance, no cooperation, no curiosity. God has all the powers and he does everything himself. The only thing that humans do is to break the rule. What does that story teach us about being human? About to live in this world? To be grateful for God? Not even for he created a perfect world then tempted us with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Actually, the tree of knowledge represents the choice between the obedience to God and the pursuit of knowledge. But wait a minute. Does that mean that God doesn't want us to gain more knowledge? It is confusing.

The Native story though is not confusing, and it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. It has talking animals and babies shaping mountains and valleys. It doesn't make sense, but that doesn't matter because it teaches us something about the world. It teaches us about balance, cooperation and curiosity. If you ask a native person, will they say that this is how it really happened, they are likely to say no. They know it's a story.

But if you ask a Christian about Genesis, many of them will tell you that this is how it really happened. They forgot it's a story! They forgot that the whole bible is a series of stories. And stories can be interpreted differently by many different people. Why are there so many sub-division of Christianity? Because they fight on what the stories mean.
A story is a story

Storytelling is a skill - meaning that is something that you can improve with practice. And I believe I've made a lot of progress, but there's still a lot to learn. And you'll notice something as you become a better storyteller, is that you can make your stories more complex.

You can link you stories to other things - like I'm trying to do now with linking storytelling with complex systems.
Like systems, stories are nested with one another. For instance, my dream about Argoss is one level of the story, but within that story, he's telling another story. It reminds me of how our memory works. Like I mentioned last episode, when you think of a memory when you were a kid, more memories are just nearby. All these memories connected together form a larger narrative of what you think of your childhood. We are made of stories. And last quote of Thomas King for today: "The truth about stories is that that's all we are."
Those stories of our past guide our future through the lessons we've learned.
We are made of stories

And all these stories are connected together. It's that interconnection that makes them easier to remember - that makes our networks of memories a more connected system. But stories are not just a series of memories, they also involve feelings. The stronger the feeling associated with a story, the easier it will be for you to remember - and we all know, there are things that we can never forget.
Stories mix emotion and logic

The power of stories for remembering is probably the reason why many Indigenous peoples used stories has the main form of knowledge transmission. In fact, many Indigenous peoples didn't have a written language, so the only way they could transfer knowledge was through spoken language. And perhaps they never had a need for written language because stories were good enough. Some Indigenous Peoples did not have a word for "art" either. In the west, the totem poles they carved had a story attached to it. It could tell where the clan came from. Their art was a form of language, enabled through stories. The totem pole was then a reminder of that story, in a art form.
Art is a form of story

According to Mi'kmaw elder Albert Marshall, the foundation of any and all relationships is the exchange of stories. If you ask someone what they like and they answer canoeing, you don't learn too much about them. That's not with this type of answer that you'll build a relationship with them. But if they share with you how they used to do canoe camping with their parents growing up, and share an anecdote about how they got bit by a beaver once, you are not only gonna remember that fact about them much better, but you'll get a clearer sense of who they are as a person, a requirement to build a relationship.
Human relationships are based on an exchange of stories

But we also have a relationship with ourselves. We tell ourselves stories about our past. We act out our story every day, and you're the hero. Your task is simple - to take care of your human - to take care of yourself. That's rising one level above - at the level of your awareness. You are not your body. Or your thoughts, or your feelings. You are your awareness. Again, that's why self awareness is so important. But to live your story you have to be in the present moment. You can't regret the past or worry about the future.

Going back to you, I'm sure there are stories that shaped. It could be something that happened to you, or a loved one, or maybe it's a book you read or movie you saw that shook you to your core. Those stories may be the reason why you're afraid of meteorites, or why you love a fireplace. They could be traumas that shape how you act without knowing. But here's the thing about the stories we carry with us: we're telling ourselves, and so they can be changed. We are our own storyteller. The scientific term is reframing. Reframing is the act of looking back at things that happened to us and changing the narrative around it. The narrative could the reason why something happened, or why someone did that to you. It's telling yourself that your ex was not crazy or abusive. She was in pain as she had been abused herself. It's telling yourself that you didn't fail because you're not capable. You failed because everybody fails sometimes.
Stories we experience shape us

We are made of stories and so is society. So, what are the stories that are we exposed to these days?
Stories shape the world

There is a story of crisis. Climate change, the pandemic, economic instability. Talking to someone the other day, she told me that she thinks that the world is doomed. I'm sure she's not the only one that's thinking that. The way we talk about these crisis are just pointing out the problems, but never suggest any solutions. In that story, we're just observers, waiting for someone to do something, while we're waiting patiently on the sideline. It's giving us a sense that the world is fragile and that disasters are just around the corner. While previous generations wanted stability with their life, we expect change and instability.
What's different now compared to before is that the sources of our stories have multiplied. In the past, stories came from limited channels-newspapers, radio, television-where narratives were more unified, and a shared "truth" was easier to establish. Today, with social media, the are countless stories, all competing one another. This abundance of stories creates opportunity and risks.
On one hand, people are seeking authenticity: stories that feel real, human, and meaningful - not just another money grab. But on the other hand, this authenticity has been harder to find, because algorithms filter what we see, amplifying some stories and hiding others. Misinformation can be quickly and easily spread, and polarization can be manufactured. The result: echo chambers where people in in separate realities, each believing that they views are the "truth" - justified by the stories they've been shown.
We've seen how powerful this can be. In the U.S., the 2016 elections faced large-scale interference from Russia. This has been confirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies-the CIA, FBI and NSA. How did they do it?
They manipulated social media. They created a network of bots that would run fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube, pretending to be Americans, to spread divisive memes, fueling debates on race, immigration and gun rights. They bought ads to reach very specific audiences, using Facebook's microtargeting tools. And they hacked emails from specific candidates, likely the ones they didn't like, then leaked them through WikiLeaks to embarrass them.
This sounds like a black mirror episode, doesn't it? But it's the reality. The tools are there to be able to do that, and so some people will use them as they wish. This is the definition of propaganda - and it has been use for a while now. It was widely used during World War I and II.

For example, the Nazi party would give free cheap radios to people to broadcast their ideology directly in people's homes. They would also drop leaflets over the enemy lines to demoralize soldiers.
The American made movies to mock Hitler, trying to encourage unity within the nation. Leaflets was also dropped in behind German lines to encourage soldiers to surrender, promising that they would be not face judgement if they did.
But also think of Hollywood and how much of an impact in had on the world, promoting U.S. values and the American dream worldwide. Then other stories, like winning the race to the moon, promoted capitalism versus communism.
Propaganda is more common than you think, and it's done by your own government on you. And it's easy to do with the tools we use everyday - and most of us are addicted to.

Stories shape us, and sometimes we don't even know that they are stories. What we hear is often sensationalized and deformed by the media, only showing one side. But remember, stories are subjective, and they're powerful - they are what shapes society.

But if stories are subjective, and I told you that the meaning behind a story is for the listener's the discover, then why did I take the time to explain the lessons from the story I shared with you at the beginning?
Let me tell you two cautionary tales to explain why:

So a story that is not framed by the author may be more easily deformed. But still, the interpretation still goes back to you. And trust is important in this. If you trust the source of your information, you are less likely to fact-check what they shared with you. And you know who we most often trust? We trust confident people.
Stories have many different interpretations

And some confident people abuse the trust of others for their personal gain. But how to avoid this? One thing you can try is reflect whether the story teller has something to gain from either your attention or belief in their story. News these days share sensationalized stories because they benefit from your attention in their stories to get more ad revenue. Political messages share one-sided stories because they want you to believe that the other sad is bad and that you should vote for them. Truth can be deformed, some arguments and points strengthened to make one view the obvious winner.
One thing to look out for is when stories use fear or anger as a way to get your attention. Stories of fear will make you fearful. Stories of anger will make you angry. Instead focus on stories that bring more positive into your life. Stories of opportunities, not of restraints. No matter the story, it can be reframed in a hopeful way: A story of solutions, not of problems - a story of we can fix this together, not of they are responsible and should pay for it.
People use stories for their benefits

But all of this, I've already told you. Yes. Simple stories can hide very useful advice. Think of story of the turtle and the hare: it reminds us that persistence outperform speed. But also, my encounter with Argoss in my dream and the two stories he told. The one about the little bird in a mice's nest or the one about being bit by a beaver. Within these two simple story, I carry the lessons that I've been explaining for the last 15 minutes.
It doesn't matter if a story is simple if it's well told

And I will conclude this section with this:
May you become more aware of the stories that make you, from the ones that happened when you were a child, to what happened just last week. May you also become more aware of the stories that are all around you, sometimes pushed onto you, by the media or other people. And finally, may you become more aware of how all these stories shape you. In small or big ways. Are the stories about climate change making you cynical? Are the stories of romantic love making you unrealistic? Are the stories of success making you want things that you don't truly care about.
Just remain aware, that is all that you need to do. The rest will come naturally.

4 - Why it is our stories that shape the world