“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” —Muriel Rukeyser
From a very young age, we assume that our thoughts and observations set us apart from other species and from our fellow humans. Experts, however, disagree. They claim that people on the planet are more alike than different from each other. Most of what we experience and feel is apparently universal. Even our firmly-held beliefs, built in time and through personal experience, are likely just borrowed or stolen. It is always someone else who is the source for our entire belief system.
Yet there is something personal about our existence. It is the narrative that runs through our brain. Our needs, our wants, our feelings, our experiences are what we have in common with everyone else. But the narrative, the filter as it were, that we carry in our brain can be uniquely ours. The stories we accept about our lives do set us apart from our neighbours, family and friends.
A plethora of narratives are available on our planet.
A common narrative is the one where the individual is largely a victim of circumstance. Here she is helpless and unable to steer events in her favour. Life seems indifferent and cruel. Little can be done to alter one’s course. Like the proverbial tumbleweed, the individual in this narrative is strewn about without a clear purpose or reason.
A second narrative counters the first. Here the individual may control at least a portion of his destiny. He is not a victim in the least. He has autonomy to do as he thinks, to live as he wants. The forces against him are mere challenges to be overcome. For this individual “ everything happens for a reason” and he feels at home inside his universe.
Some religions tell us that we are immortal creatures with a soul and a planned destiny. If we live within prescribed means during our sojourn on earth, we will be reunited with God some day and He will reward us with a peaceful eternity.
Science offers the narrative that our place in the universe is tenuous at best. We are intelligent animals but we are doomed on account of our deep character flaws. In relative short order, as Nature shuffles her deck of organisms and species, we should expect to become obsolete.
There can be many other narratives that dance inside our heads. Some people believe that the earth and its species are here for our sole enjoyment. They pillage and plunder with no thought for future generations. Others are convinced that humans are all powerful. They plan and scheme without restraint. They long to settle space and conquer galaxies.
My current life narrative is rather modest. Because I don’t know where we came from and where we are actually going, I try to walk this earth with some humility. I face each day with a spirit of adventure and I strive to show respect to everyone I meet.
To feel some enduring purpose, I even act like my actions and beliefs are consequential, but I am willing to accept that this may not be true. I try to make the most of my time on earth.
Narratives have a unique power over us. They guide us through each day and they give us meaning in a confusing world. They also help us perpetuate the myth that we are special in some way.