I have an upcoming TED Talk on how storytelling can be a force for change. So I really believe that, right?
For sure. But one thing I struggle with is how romantic the word “storytelling” comes across. I wonder how many people overlook its power, dismissing it as simply pulling up to the town square yelling “gather round, gather round, let me tell you a tale!”
Obviously, what I’m talking about is something bigger than that… though it can definitely include some classic oral storytelling.
Our actions have an impact. They always do. Hell, our inaction has an impact too.
But what guides the way we act? Our understanding of the world, which is shaped by the stories we tell.
On the global scale, you can see how things unfolding in Ukraine, Palestine, or Ethiopia are all related to clashing stories people tell about whose land is whose.
But you’ve probably experienced this on an individual scale, too. Reframe the story you tell yourself about a breakup, your parents, or the place you live, and the way you respond to it changes as well.
One of the most powerful ways to change the world is to change the stories you tell about it.