Are You Buying Into Someone Else's Narrative?

If someone was to watch the news on TV or to read a paper, they are likely to hear about what is taking place in the world. It can seem as though the channel or paper is simply passing onto them what is taking place; nothing more, nothing less.

This whole process will then be very similar to what is said about a sports match that has finished; what is said is likely to be an accurate account of what happened. In both cases, there will be no reason for someone to question what they are told.

The Big Illusion

However, although this may appear to be the case, it couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, the news station that they watch or the paper that they read has narrative and just about everything that they cover will be in alignment with that narrative.

Therefore, the mainstream media will have made up a story about what everything means and they will do their best to get other people to buy into this story. Creating the impression that their story is the truth will be a big part of what causes so many people to buy into it.

A Second-hand Experience

If someone buys into what this source of information tells them is the truth, it will prevent them from being able to form their own views about the world. And one thing that is pretty clear about the mainstream media is that it wants people to live in fear and not to get along with each other.

With this in mind, if one allows this source to define how they see the world, not only will they have an inaccurate view of the world; they will also find it hard to experience inner peace and to see other people as individuals in their own right. The outcome of this is that one’s mental and emotional wellbeing is going to be undermined.

Closer to Home

It would be easy to only focus on the mainstream media, but one is also likely to find that there are people in their own life who want them to buy into their own narrative. For example, someone that they know could say that all members of the opposite gender are the same or that life is meaningless.

This person is not going to be able to acknowledge that this is just a story that they have made up; no, they will make out that this is the absolute truth. The more people that they can get to buy into this story, the more convinced they are likely to become.

A Choice

Ultimately, one can buy into someone else’s story and lead a life that is anything but fulfilling, or they can create their own narrative and lead a life that is fulfilling. What this emphasises is how powerful one’s own narrative is.

In each moment of their life, they are interpreting what they experience based on the narrative that they have formed. Taking this into account, if someone is not leading a very fulfilling life, they may need to change the story that they have created.