Questioning Unhealthy Stories
Stories are how humans make sense, or meaning, of things that happen, how the world is, and how we should behave. We are immersed in stories from the moment we’re born – stories from our family, culture, religion, and teachers. These stories are what we believe to be true about ourselves, other people, and the rest of the world. As humans, we need stories to know how to live, but unfortunately many of our current stories are unhealthy both for us and for the other-than-human around us.
Some of modern Western culture’s most integral stories are highly destructive and life-diminishing. They lead to separation, conflict, and incredible acts of cruelty. These stories include:
Humans have the right and the obligation to do whatever they wish to the environment and other beings
Humans are inherently selfish and violent, requiring external control by institutions
Growth and expansion are the best measure of progress and success
There is a natural hierarchy of worth among humans and non-humans, and those at the top deserve to exploit and control those beneath them
These are just a few of the unhealthy stories we live by. And we have integrated them so thoroughly we can’t even see that there are alternative stories.
Widely-believed stories have the power to influence people’s actions on a massive scale. When religious or political leaders convince their followers that their cause is righteous and their “enemies” are evil hate, oppression, war and other atrocities become justified. When a group of people believe that another group is inferior or “subhuman,” it opens the door for slavery, ethnic cleansing and genocide. (I feel sick just typing this.)
I first heard the term “unhealthy stories” from my teacher of shamanism and core animism, Paul Francis. In contrast, he calls healthy stories “the original instructions,” or deeper Stories. These healthy stories are learned by direct experience in shamanic journeys and our early ancestors relied on the shaman to make sure the tribe knew and followed them. Among other things, these healthy stories tell us about our right relationship with the other-than-human.1
Charles Eisenstein writes about unhealthy cultural stories in excruciating detail and calls them collectively The Story of Separation. He also tells us how the story might change – it must come from within each individual, through our own healing and self-awareness, and from the knowledge still carried by some indigenous and “primitive” cultures. It starts with the question “Who am I” and from that, “Who are you?”2
What are the healthy stories we can turn to? Many of them are aligned with our greatest values in their purest form, such as those about equality, fairness, and generosity. They are founded on a deep knowing that everyone and everything is intimately interconnected – and our actions and even our words influence all of us positively or negatively.
What healthy stories do you believe? How can you make them more powerful and more important than the unhealthy stories all around you?
I believe we will never make positive, lasting improvement in the conditions of our lives nor halt the destruction of the Earth until enough people stop believing the unhealthy stories that divide us from our own true essence, from each other, and from the natural world.
If we do so, there will be a time of frightening unknowns until gradually, with great care and wisdom, we will be able to remember the original stories and to also create new, healthy stories. This is just as true for individuals’ personal stories as it is for cultural/societal stories. It requires courage and honesty and humility.
Are you willing to question every unhealthy story? You will recognize them when you see they are diminishing rather than strengthening, life-denying rather than life-affirming, creating separation rather than cooperation and community.
Discuss what you uncover with your friends and family. Read the work of bold thought leaders such as Daniel Quinn, Paul Levy, Charles Eisenstein, and Derrick Jensen. Discover the voices and stories of indigenous people who remind us of what we’ve forgotten about how to live in right relationship with the world (Robin Wall Kimmerer, Robert Wolff, Tyson Yunkaporta.) Examine how your own wounds and unmet needs cause you to hold onto the Story of Separation. Hold your beliefs very lightly and be open to alternatives.
References:
1 Paul Francis, The Shamanic Journey
2 Charles Eisenstein, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible
Amy Arnold, MD
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Image by Laura Otýpková from Pixabay
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