Training Videos
Objective
Familiarize yourself with the idea that each society is built on an implicit story—and that creating a New Story is both practical and possible.
Definitions
Story: the conceptual building blocks that form the basis of how we see ourselves and our relationship to others; how we perceive our nature, purpose, and sense of safety; and how we make decisions to fulfill our needs. Societies are built upon shared paradigmatic assumptions. To transform society, we have to transform the dominant paradigm (aka story).
New Story: the convergence of modern science and ancient wisdom that upholds a higher image of the human being, along with our relationship to one another and all of life. Nonviolence is the crux of this image.
Old Story: the current paradigm, which revolves around the assumption that we are physical creatures doomed to violence, competition for scarce resources on a finite planet, and living a meaningless existence.
The Skeptical Friend’s Opinions
In order to have peace and security, “good people” should put “bad people” in jail.
People are wired to be lazy, greedy, and violent; trying to be nice to others, especially strangers, often results in being cheated or manipulated.
As someone’s socio-economic status increases, their level of happiness increases too. In other words, happiness is a product of what we have.
To maintain our happiness, we have to fight each other for it.
Animation
We now recommend that you return to the top of the lesson and watch the video before continuing with the analysis below.
Analysis
Reflect: Describe the video’s main point and provide answers to the Skeptical Friend's opinions above (remember that you may be speaking to yourself, even).
Brainstorm: How can you apply the New Story to a real-world situation? You may want to consider any memories or thoughts that came to mind as you watched the video. Reflecting on your own experiences in your community, slide into the shoes of a skeptical friend and raise a question that challenges the animation's message. Then, respond to that question from a New Story perspective.
Prepare: Make a list of your New Story values and related behaviors, and put it where you can easily turn to it to remind yourself when you are in doubt. An example of a value and behavior might be: "I believe all human lives deserve respect. I want to watch my speech for disrespectful words or assumptions."
Consider specific situations in which you are struggling; what alternate behaviors would you like to adopt? For example: "When my father starts talking about politics, I usually reply with so much frustration that I'm unable to fully listen to him. The next time this happens, I will take a deep breath and ask him: 'Could you tell me more about why you think that way?' And if I see that my emotions become too strong, I'll say, 'I think I need to take a break right now, but thank you for sharing with me—and let’s talk again when I feel calmer.'”
Practice: Most of us have been conditioned in the Old Story our entire lives, so to discover the potential of the New Story, we must gently challenge ourselves when we find a place where the Old Story lives in us. For example: "When I'm upset, I choose to go shopping instead of talking with the person I'm in conflict with. But the New Story tells us that healthy relationships make us happy, not buying things." Develop a New Story strategy you can use the next time you find yourself in an upsetting situation with someone.
Process: Explain the New Story in your own words. You could think about it as though you're telling a children’s story. Imagine that you are in the future, speaking with your great-grandchildren. Tell them about the world you lived in, then describe the world they live in now.
Invitation to Action
Ready to take concrete action? One easy thing you can do right away is share the “A New Story of Us” video from this section. Here's the YouTube link.
Want to learn more on this topic? See the New Story section in the course Library.
