The power of storytelling
Everything is a story.
The “self” is a story.
The past, the world, thinking, the internet, and even your family are all stories, also.
Some stories are more concrete. Others theoretical. Some stories span the test of time. Others ephemeral.
You get the idea. The point is this: the capacity for storytelling makes us human. (Second source: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Are you familiar? More on this later…). In fact, it’s this power of storytelling that enable humans to work together (again, see Harari). It’s also this capacity for storytelling that enables us to think in terms of “us vs. them.” Put another way, stories are the bedrock of culture. They’re also the foundation of cults. Put a third way, stories can bind us together and tear us apart.
Why this matters: the storytelling function is like having eyes — it operates whether or not you know you have it (assuming, for the sake of analogy, typical eyesight). In knowing, however, you can change your story, change your perspective.
Look, I’m not saying this is easy. To drop all stories is akin to water dropping it’s nature. But I am saying that noticing your stories is the first step to changing any of them.
Understanding stories, also, tells us why so many people are bent on telling them.
What are your stories? And who’s in charge of the telling? If the answer to this second question isn’t “you,” then it might be worth a second look.
A book that changed my life: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
I’m unlikely to say that any book is a must read. Man’s Search for Meaning, however, is nearly required. Part memoir and psychological exploration of life in a Nazi concentration camp, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Frankl argues that finding meaning in suffering is the key to survival. Through his personal experiences and philosophical insights, Frankl emphasizes that while we can’t control our circumstances, we can choose our attitude toward them.
This book left such an impression that I toyed with, “Sam’s Search for Meaning,” as a possible podcast. As you can tell, SSFM hasn’t been produced. Frankly, I’m not suffering from a lack of meaning. If anything, becoming a parent and getting older has made life more meaningful.
A product that changed my salad dressings: the Ninja Food Chopper
Eating well begins with high quality ingredients and good tools.
For example, I use the Ninja Food Chopper to make salad dressing. Take 1/2 cup of olive oil 🫒, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (I like white wine balsamic vinegar), 1 clove of garlic 🧄, 1/4 of a shallot, a bit of dijon, a pinch of salt🧂(I use this Kosher sea salt), 1/2 a teaspoon of honey, and a bit of thyme; place all of the ingredients in the ninja; and blend for thirty seconds. Voilà!
Healthy doesn’t have to be hard. But it helps if it’s tasty. Mangia!
