Stories are the most powerful force around today [see photo]. This is neither a good nor a bad thing; however, this phenomenon must be confronted if you and I are to remain sane.
Emma wins the US Women's Singles Trophy and the world goes absolutely nuts. After her win she is ranked 22 with 2571 points compared to Ash, ranked 1, who has 10075 points. I am not a fan of this ranking system [for lots of reasons] but at least it is a measure of sustained performance. My point is the whole world gushes over "the story" of Emma: of course it is a good yarn. But "the story" of Emma prematurely lifted her to the same level in women's tennis as the legend Billie Jean. Good Grief Charlie Brown... ha, ha, ha...
Down under in the AFL is about to witness a battle for the 2021 Premiership Cup and the favourite to win is the Melbourne Football Club. Here "the story" is that this club has not won a premiership for 57 years. Guess who gets all the media attention; yeah, it is the Demons. The other team is just there to make up the numbers in "the story" this year.
The dominant issue in the world today is "the story". Australia is the lockdown champion of the world. America has open borders because these illegal immigrants are fleeing to the USA to escape tyranny and oppression. China is the emergent Superpower. Vaccines passports are the magic cure to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bitcoin will protect your purchasing power in inflationary or deflationary times. Zero-carbon emissions is holy grail in a "do-or-die" struggle against Climate Change. Social movements can be trusted more than laws, courts, regular order, etc. America is a sustainable Democracy. And so on and so on....
Because we trust "the story" we are less informed than past generations. Every day those who chase "the story" are manipulating you and me. They present a false view of our world. They distort our version of reality. They profit from our willingness to accept lies, half-truths, fantasies, etc. They are "us" and we are "them".
Richard.
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