Stories, Atoms & Truth
“The universe is not made of atoms, but of stories.”
— Muriel Rukeyser
The Speed of Darkness
American Poet & Political Activist
1913 – 1980
Not Atoms. Stories.
Is the United States or Canada made strictly of atoms? Are they substantially different than the atoms of Russia, Syria, Sierra Leone?
The stories however, are different.
Land of the Free. Home of the Brave.
Give me liberty or give me death!
Founding Fathers…
Of the People, by the People, for the People.
Atoms may not account for the differences between one country and another. But Stories, it seems, can change the flavor, color, style, personality of atoms. Let’s take a basic set of atoms, in the form of an apartment, and try out our hypothesis.
Story One:
Lisa lost her baby in childbirth. She could find no love for her husband, who soon left her and moved to another city, leaving her alone in Montreal. Lisa’s job provided for mere survival. All she could afford was a one-room, basement apartment painted flat white, with a shared bathroom, and no windows. Her belongings consisted of an Ikea bed, a table, a chair and some clothing. She dwelled on the story of her loss, and, eventually, expired.
Story Two:
Graduating top of her class, Lara moved to Montreal after admission to McGill. Vowing to earn her way through school, she got a job in telephone sales and rented a one-room, basement apartment with no windows. She painted her microscopic flat plain white, and installed an Ikea bed and table. It was monastic, but it had room for her meager wardrobe, and guaranteed she would graduate debt free…
One Apartment, One set of atoms — Two Stories! (And some fresh paint.)
Our suggestion: Recognize that stories influence atoms, and also the course of lives, nations, and institutions.
And of course, the more people telling (and re-telling) the stories, the greater their impact.
One final choice for management:
Do you want everyone in the firm originating and telling a different story to their colleagues, friends and customers?
Or…
Would you prefer the scenario where everyone is telling the same story (in their own inimitable style…)?
We suggest: “One Story, Many Voices!®”
Applications
1. Personally
The stories we tell ourselves are perhaps the most important, influential, and least noticed. The discussion and debate going on constantly in your head determines the perception and thus the outcome of almost everything you touch, experience, believe and accomplish. Can you choose to see life through an even better lens; and then tell yourself a better, happier, loftier and more inspiring story?
2. At Home
Ahh, parenthood. The art of putting the very best face on what happens at school, in the game, the office and the PTA. Siblings have been known to be brutal in their choices of stories to and about their brothers and sisters. Also in the way they choose (and edit) the stories about their families. The stories one chooses, and the way they are told can set the tenor and the temper of the family, the spouses, and the children for a lifetime. Choose carefully and edit with care.
3. At Work
Storytelling is a team sport in corporations, and it’s important to have a shared approach to creating, telling and distributing them so they can be treated and managed as resources and assets. As a manager, start by asking yourself what are the predominant stories, how do they need to be spruced up for a new decade, and whether a new start requires a blank slate? Self- promotion is not out of the question. So don’t forget that the stories told about you in the firm can “influence your influence” and shape your future as well. So don’t fail to create, disseminate and edit your own story as you go along.
The universe is made of Stories, not Atoms. So re-write the Story, and force the atoms into alignment!
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