MAKING YOUR MIND YOUR FRIEND THROUGH NARRATIVE
Happy New Year, my dear readers. One of my new year resolutions is to increase my writings to one blog every week. I also am going to write not only non-fictional but also fiction. So first we finish the series ‘Your mind is your keeper, not your friend’.
My girlfriend once asked me, “What makes us humans different from other species?” After a moment of thought, I answered that humans can think in the abstract. We can create abstract concepts in our minds and bring them to reality. We improve our lives and make things easier by building tools and machines that help us realise our needs. For our psyche, we have Narratives.
We tell kids stories that terrify them from going out in the dark, talking to strangers and teach them lessons on the importance of good morals. Think of the boogeyman, the clever, witty hare, the goose that laid the golden egg, Jack and the beanstalk. These stories are powerful tools to teach us good values and protect kids from getting into trouble.
What separated humans from our cousins, the apes, are the narratives that we started telling ourselves. In every culture, country, and region, legends are passed on from generation to generation. Some tales are so intense that they are taken for actual historical events. People believe them so much they would take offence at any attempt to discredit them.
How did Narratives come to be? In the hunter-gatherer societies, the groups developed rituals like music and dancing to achieve social cohesion among the growing communities. As they settled in larger communities, narratives were adopted to manage pro-social behaviour and alleviate the stresses of living in large communities. This is how religion and nationalism came to be.
Think of it for a moment; literary everything could be an illusion. Some thinkers suggest that we are characters being played in a simulation by aliens. Most countries with borders never existed until like 200 years ago. Still, the belief and pride in one’s country and their flag symbol is solid and evident from the wars and international competitions.
The power of belief in Narrative is also apparent in sport. Soccer, the most popular game globally, is religiously watched. A lot of resources are placed in a competition where 22 people chase around a ball in a field. This game is famed to transcend political, geographical and economic differences. It is one of the most beautiful, practical Narrative of rituals that unite people of all walks of life.
Most notably, though, is the Narrative that goes on in your mind. Look, no one chooses the Narrative they were born into. You did not choose the Narrative that males should behave in a particular way and females in another. You did not choose the Narrative of your IQ, education level, origins and physical attributes. That these, automatically determine whether the cards you draw in the game of life are good or unlucky ones. You did not choose to accept the Narrative that you have to be quiet and submissive to authority whether they are right or wrong. But many people suffer silently because they have been intimidated by narratives into self-censorship.
DON’T underestimate the power of narratives. Your mind sticks to a narrative even when it no longer suits your needs and desires. Remember the massacre in the 18th century by the Christian crusaders? It was a belief in the Narrative they were doing the Lord’s will. Remember the Gulags of Stalin and the famine that led to the millions who died. It was belief in the Narrative of Marxism. Have you heard of the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un in North Korea, that the people are not revolting out of their belief that their saviour is Kim? It is a narrative that has brewed fear and helplessness.
There are many narratives, some become obsolete with time, and some stand the test of time. For example, the teachings of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, life would be perfect if people followed that Narrative.
You need to keep evaluating your Narrative and updating it to have peace of mind and peace FROM mind. Look, after Hitler was defeated in the second world war, the Germans had to change the Narrative of how they viewed people from other races. Now Germany is one of the most diverse countries to live in.
Do your religious beliefs, cultural values, and personal truths make you happy? Does your ideology lead you to be tolerant and respectful to people with different narratives? Does your story challenge you to become the best version of yourself?
When reading about the concentration camps in Nazi Germany and Stalin’s USSR, it is human nature to identify and empathise with the victims. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who wrote ‘The Gulag Archipelago’, suggested that we should also put ourselves in the shoes of the oppressor. That guard at the concentration camp, what Narrative was he telling himself as he watched people die a miserable death? The woman who snitched on her Jewish neighbour and his family and had them taken to the camps. What Narrative was going on in her mind?
Africa, where I was born and raised, what sort of Narrative are they holding on to so that they have to be dependent on foreign aid yet have mineral-rich and fertile lands as well as the youngest population of the world. How strong is that Narrative that most Africans in every election cycle for decades elect corrupt officials who care less about their own people but plunder their resources?
Think, my friend, maybe the story you have been holding on to is holding you back. Your beautiful mind can be your friend if it uses its unique neuroplasticity ability (adapting new narratives). Take up a better Narrative for yourself or upgrade the one you have. Make your mind your friend and your keeper.
jackmugoya 