Storybook Hero

Your life is the story. The hero is you. It’s the same for each of us and might explain everything from the way it makes your world more comprehensible to why it’s virtually impossible to persuade someone via direct debate. Facts mean nothing until you can insert yourself into another’s hero story (click: Everyone's The Hero Of Their Own Story).

There is a reference in the linked article to the work of Robert Kegan, who developed a theoretical psychological framework to assess one’s perception of reality as essentially a construct, developed in stages over a lifetime. In other words, a story. The frail human psychology simply isn’t built for consistent re-examination of the narrative. So much for the illusion of free will.

This theory of human behavior assumes most people are well-meaning but stuck in a “hero’s mindset” which centers on the self that might offer an explanation for the futility of usual political debate often little more than the dialogue of the deaf. If your goal is to change someone’s mind then you should be operating in the conversation as if you’re talking to the hero of the story, who is basically good but has been misled.

Even the smartest amongst us may still be the subject of wholesale indoctrination. The most well-meaning hero can still be fooled by the false narrative.

Please note the following RSVP Policy for Member Monday: RSVP sign-up opens up at 11:00am on Fridays via the City Club weekly Newsletter. Seats are first-come, first-served: the first 14 secure a spot at the table, the last 3 on the couch. Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance or the standard Social Lunch rate applies.