By Brent Woodard
Anglican/United Church
The human mind creates narratives. Another word for “narratives” is “stories.” Narratives become lenses through which we see reality. Most narratives are unconscious, or are largely unconscious. When we have a narrative, we then have a tendency to look for and see evidence to confirm it is true.
What is an example of a narrative? There are big and small narratives. An example of a big narrative would be: “Americans are rich, overly patriotic, ignorant about the world, and have a sense of entitlement over many things.” If this is a person’s narrative, they will tend to see Americans in such a way so as to confirm that the narrative is true. An example of a small narrative would be: “If my boss talks more with a co-worker, it’s because they like them more than they like me.” We then may be attuned to evidence to confirm that this narrative is true.
I recently heard someone say that many people who are choosing not to be vaccinated are committed to a narrative and then are looking for evidence to confirm the narrative is true. The narrative might be that vaccinations aren’t safe, or that vaccinations will make them infertile, or that this is going to be used to track people, or this is how governments are taking away individual rights and freedoms. If people have these narratives, they then seek and find evidence that they believe confirms the narrative. Years ago, I heard the same point made using different words: “Never expect facts to contradict beliefs, because once people have a belief about something, they rearrange facts to fit their beliefs.”
It would be disingenuous, I believe, for people who are getting vaccinated to think they don’t have narratives. It is more honest, I believe, to see that all people, all of us, have and create narratives. It is what our minds do. Being human, none of us are exempt. And, we absorb narratives from our surrounding culture. Isn’t every advertisement a little narrative? Doesn’t every country, when it goes to war, need to create a “Ministry of Propaganda.” Where would war be without creating a narrative about “us” and “them?” Would the war in Iraq have happened without the narrative of “weapons of mass destruction?”
So, we are vulnerable to the narratives our minds create and the narratives we are given in society. Perhaps the question is, can we be more aware of our narratives? Can we make our narratives conscious? Can we be, at least to some degree, “the awareness” rather than the narrative?
I’m not sure this is a perfect fit, but it is recorded that Jesus said, “Do not judge… Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” What is judging if not a narrative? Is a narrative a type of speck or log? Is it possible to ever see without a speck, log or narrative in the way?
