Some Ramblings About The Nature Of Storytelling and Identity

Life is dictated by the individual and judged by the masses. 

A millions voices voicing concerns, we live in an age of gossip and madness. Where people's narcissism leads to power over others through shaming and violence. People calling other people bad names while accusing those same people of name calling. With so many opinions one must turn to principles to navigate the sea of ideas. 

Are stories about how to act the substructure of conscious integration? Information fed through the language and meaning factory of the brain that develops and coalesces into an identity bound by time. 

Is storytelling so valuable that those who do it well are given status among the masses? Or are good stories so powerful they transcend their original author? They exist in the abstract and recur over time. The lessons learned in stories help the mind grow a sense of potential efficacy in navigating the world and the mind adapts to local information. 

Meaningful stories help integrate information and guide the mind to linking important elements of reality. Archetypes help orient our identities by highlighting actions that can lead to meaningful social and personal outcomes. The degree to which the mind can reconcile the consequences espoused in stories with the real consequences of the world is the degree to which the psyche is stabilized and maneuverable. 

If free will exists then we have to give people the chance to examine the stories that rule their lives and work to determine the validity of the lessons in those stories. One must be skeptical of the stories others tell us about how the world really is and one must be skeptical of one's own ability to deceive one's self by means of wishful thinking and ego stroking. 

Truths evolve. New truths arise and fall but some truths stand the test of time. Stories tell truths with lies but the lies are just metaphors and representations of reality. Meaning exudes from stories coating the mind with a sticky film of understanding.

Art reflects life. Since art is a part of life art sometimes reflects art. Sometimes life reflects art because art is a part of life. Art attempts to point at something either real or only real in the mind, so it can point to anything and everything and make up things to point to or tempt you into seeing something never intended to be pointed at.