How Not to Be Manipulated by Other People’s Stories
People in power tell us-versus-them narratives to further their agendas. It’s time to tell our own stories.
We’re constantly absorbing new information. We observe and question everything in our minds: What’s going on? What’s happening? What does this mean? What value does this have? What do I need to know? Our focus is survival. We seek information that will help us survive physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially.
Once we feel certain of our survival, we begin to seek information that will help us become fulfilled.
Sometimes, seeking fulfillment is fairly simple: How can I have more fun? How can I get more of the stuff I like? How can I experience less of the stuff I don’t?
Sometimes, seeking fulfillment is deep and complex: How can I contribute to the world? How can I be helpful? How can I feel better about myself? Who am I? What’s my purpose?
Ideally, all of us would naturally move from survival information-seeking to fulfillment information-seeking. It’s the natural progression of human learning, but things don’t always work out that way.
