Narratives and the power of story is something I am becoming more and more interested about exploring lately. To me, it is pretty fascinating to acknowledge the power that lays behind a well-crafted story, no matter whether what it's sought to tell, and maybe even impose, is for the greater good, the not-so-good, or for the worst... I'm astonished to what these can do to our human mind and perception of the world. Even more when one realizes about stories having been a thing, for such a long period of time, pretty much all throughout humanity. Do you by any chance recommend any specific author or book(s) related to the topic to further explore about it? I am very curious about your space 'Stories We Become' and I am going to check it out as soon as I post this few words of mine. Also, I wanted to say, this piece is very well written and a truly beautiful and eye-opening one; thank you so much, Elena, for taking the time to put it together and share it. There are several quotes I must say resonated a lot with me, but these two, did so a little more: "Collectively reinforced narratives rarely feel ideological. They feel neutral, natural, almost unquestionable, which is precisely what makes them so powerful." & "Stories shape perception. Perception shapes behaviour. Behaviour shapes systems." Wishing to you and everyone who reads it, a wonderful week ahead to review, rethink, reimagine, and retell stories!
Thank you for your reflection! It is such a rich space to explore, especially once we start noticing how deeply stories shape what we consider “normal” or “possible,” often without us even realising it.
For further reading I would really recommend looking into Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler and adrienne maree brown. Each of them, in very different ways, uses storytelling not just as expression, but as a way to examine systems, futures and the invisible structures that shape our lives. Their work has also served as inspiration to design 'Stories We Become', and I actively draw on their writing to inform the course experience as material we work with directly, helping participants engage with their ideas in a more lived and applied way. At the heart of it, I’m interested in how narratives don’t just describe reality, but actively participate in shaping it both individually and collectively.
Wishing you a curious and reflective week ahead as you continue exploring this space, it’s a fascinating one to sit with.
What a brilliant essay Elena, full of wisdom. I do have 1 suggestion based on my decades of working with personal narratives: how about turning some of those reflection questions into story prompts so readers can access their experiences with the topics you posed more directly? Just a thought.
thank you so much for your suggestion and challenging me on this one, Karen. You are absolutely right, these can be turned into story prompts, here is what comes to mind:
1. Write about a moment in your life where your understanding of success, productivity, love or worth first took shape. Describe the scene in detail: who was there, what was being modelled, what was rewarded and what you learned was expected without it ever being stated.
2. Tell the story of how you learned to relate to rest, ambition, care or belonging. Focus on lived experience rather than ideas: what you saw, what you absorbed, what was normal in your environment and how it started to shape your internal rhythm and decisions.
3. Imagine a belief you hold is no longer structuring how you see the world. Write from that shift. What becomes easier to imagine, decide or create when that framework is no longer in place?
I love these Elena! Each one is a rich gem. If I hadn't been on vacation when I sent my note to you (home now), I probably would have been more chatty with you. And LOL, I can't tell you how many times I've couldn't see the forest for the trees, and colleagues would say to me..."Hey Karen, why aren't you having people tell stories?!" Uh duh. See me doing a head-slap :)
Once again, I really like your article. It was well thought out, all the points you made were spot on, and you hit on one of the most neglected parts of storytelling: reflection. What does this story really mean to me? What did I learn from that experience? What decisions do I/did I make based on this story? What else is there to know from this story?
Keep writing such great content! People need what you have to say. Story on :)
Yesss. What a great piece Elena! Thank you for sharing this and making a case for how what we say is more important than we tend to think. Beautifully said 🤍
Elena, thank you much for this writing, especially for visualizing the narrative loop. I've been thinking to gather a similar cohort since the covid, but as an off-line camp on a lake's shore, and I still postpone it.
Meanwhile during completely different async online 'cultivator' for ecovillagers - lasting for 8 weeks as you will guide your course, we as a group of 5 somehow unexpectedly found ourselves exactly in the same process of reviewing our inherited narratives and helping each other to go further.
Wow what a synchronicity Sergey! thank you for sharing your experience with this work - it is a really rich experience to explore and sit with. Would love to follow how this unfolds for you :)
You're exactly right--this narrative frame is quite literally how our brains interpret the world and guide us in action on a neurological level. Nice article.
i recently read "how to fall in love with the future" by rob hopkins, and it feels like a powerful companion to this essay. it sits somewhere between manifesto, case study, and facilitation on reclaiming imagination—as activists, organizers, community members, neighbors.
it raises a question i keep returning to: how does shifting our relationship to imagined futures—from fear-based or scarcity-driven toward ones rooted in hope and abundance—change how we show up, make decisions, and live today?
this shift requires a suspension of disbelief. to loosen inherited narratives and reweave them into new, expansive ones.
the stories we share become the worlds we live in. so, let's tell better ones!
Narratives and the power of story is something I am becoming more and more interested about exploring lately. To me, it is pretty fascinating to acknowledge the power that lays behind a well-crafted story, no matter whether what it's sought to tell, and maybe even impose, is for the greater good, the not-so-good, or for the worst... I'm astonished to what these can do to our human mind and perception of the world. Even more when one realizes about stories having been a thing, for such a long period of time, pretty much all throughout humanity. Do you by any chance recommend any specific author or book(s) related to the topic to further explore about it? I am very curious about your space 'Stories We Become' and I am going to check it out as soon as I post this few words of mine. Also, I wanted to say, this piece is very well written and a truly beautiful and eye-opening one; thank you so much, Elena, for taking the time to put it together and share it. There are several quotes I must say resonated a lot with me, but these two, did so a little more: "Collectively reinforced narratives rarely feel ideological. They feel neutral, natural, almost unquestionable, which is precisely what makes them so powerful." & "Stories shape perception. Perception shapes behaviour. Behaviour shapes systems." Wishing to you and everyone who reads it, a wonderful week ahead to review, rethink, reimagine, and retell stories!
Thank you for your reflection! It is such a rich space to explore, especially once we start noticing how deeply stories shape what we consider “normal” or “possible,” often without us even realising it.
For further reading I would really recommend looking into Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler and adrienne maree brown. Each of them, in very different ways, uses storytelling not just as expression, but as a way to examine systems, futures and the invisible structures that shape our lives. Their work has also served as inspiration to design 'Stories We Become', and I actively draw on their writing to inform the course experience as material we work with directly, helping participants engage with their ideas in a more lived and applied way. At the heart of it, I’m interested in how narratives don’t just describe reality, but actively participate in shaping it both individually and collectively.
Wishing you a curious and reflective week ahead as you continue exploring this space, it’s a fascinating one to sit with.
What a brilliant essay Elena, full of wisdom. I do have 1 suggestion based on my decades of working with personal narratives: how about turning some of those reflection questions into story prompts so readers can access their experiences with the topics you posed more directly? Just a thought.
thank you so much for your suggestion and challenging me on this one, Karen. You are absolutely right, these can be turned into story prompts, here is what comes to mind:
1. Write about a moment in your life where your understanding of success, productivity, love or worth first took shape. Describe the scene in detail: who was there, what was being modelled, what was rewarded and what you learned was expected without it ever being stated.
2. Tell the story of how you learned to relate to rest, ambition, care or belonging. Focus on lived experience rather than ideas: what you saw, what you absorbed, what was normal in your environment and how it started to shape your internal rhythm and decisions.
3. Imagine a belief you hold is no longer structuring how you see the world. Write from that shift. What becomes easier to imagine, decide or create when that framework is no longer in place?
I love these Elena! Each one is a rich gem. If I hadn't been on vacation when I sent my note to you (home now), I probably would have been more chatty with you. And LOL, I can't tell you how many times I've couldn't see the forest for the trees, and colleagues would say to me..."Hey Karen, why aren't you having people tell stories?!" Uh duh. See me doing a head-slap :)
Once again, I really like your article. It was well thought out, all the points you made were spot on, and you hit on one of the most neglected parts of storytelling: reflection. What does this story really mean to me? What did I learn from that experience? What decisions do I/did I make based on this story? What else is there to know from this story?
Keep writing such great content! People need what you have to say. Story on :)
Yesss. What a great piece Elena! Thank you for sharing this and making a case for how what we say is more important than we tend to think. Beautifully said 🤍
Elena thanks for your essays, I love when you publish one and I can make it a pdf to make notes, like having a conversation ❤️
aahh.. I love this! would love to see how this unfolds for you
I’ve been reflecting so much about this you’ve put it amazingly beautifully in writing!!! Thank you so much 🫶🏽✨☀️
Elena, thank you much for this writing, especially for visualizing the narrative loop. I've been thinking to gather a similar cohort since the covid, but as an off-line camp on a lake's shore, and I still postpone it.
Meanwhile during completely different async online 'cultivator' for ecovillagers - lasting for 8 weeks as you will guide your course, we as a group of 5 somehow unexpectedly found ourselves exactly in the same process of reviewing our inherited narratives and helping each other to go further.
Wow what a synchronicity Sergey! thank you for sharing your experience with this work - it is a really rich experience to explore and sit with. Would love to follow how this unfolds for you :)
Brilliant essay 👏🏽
You're exactly right--this narrative frame is quite literally how our brains interpret the world and guide us in action on a neurological level. Nice article.
i recently read "how to fall in love with the future" by rob hopkins, and it feels like a powerful companion to this essay. it sits somewhere between manifesto, case study, and facilitation on reclaiming imagination—as activists, organizers, community members, neighbors.
it raises a question i keep returning to: how does shifting our relationship to imagined futures—from fear-based or scarcity-driven toward ones rooted in hope and abundance—change how we show up, make decisions, and live today?
this shift requires a suspension of disbelief. to loosen inherited narratives and reweave them into new, expansive ones.
the stories we share become the worlds we live in. so, let's tell better ones!
https://waldenswanson.substack.com/p/weakly-haiku-beneath-belief?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=ww3o1