Voluntary stories

The narrative we run in our head is a choice.

It might or might not be based on objective reality and verified history. Doesn’t matter, it’s still a choice.

There are millions of ways we can remind ourselves about the events of our lives and the systems we live in. But in this moment (and the next) we’ll choose just one or two to rehearse and allow it to alter our decisions, outlook and interactions.

So the key question is simple:

Is it helping?

It’s clear that the story is a choice. You can change it. Not all at once, not easily, but of course, we change our focus. This takes effort, and it’s worthwhile.

And since we can change it, it’s a tool. If it’s not helping, we can change it.

200 years ago, Jeremy Bentham wrote a pamphlet on how we use words to tell ourselves stories. It’s archaic and dense, so few read it any longer. I asked Claude to give us a summary.