[nukkad] The story you tell yourself

[adheer <>]

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Never be haughty to the humble; never be humble to the haughty. 
-Jefferson Davis, confederate president (1808-1889)
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Are You the One?


On his first military campaign, George Washington made
a terrible mistake. The American colonies had not yet
rebelled -- that was 20 years down the road.
Washington was working for Britain, which was in a
"cold war" with France. The two countries were
tussling with each other for territory all over the
world, including the area near Virginia. One day
Washington and his troops spotted a party of French
camping in their territory, and attacked them, killing
ten men and capturing the rest. 

He shot first and asked questions later. He found out
it was a diplomatic party, and one of the men he
killed was an important French ambassador. Washington
had made a big mistake. The two major military powers
of that time ended their cold war and entered a hot
war. 

Imagine, for the moment, that you were Washington, and
you made that mistake. What would you tell yourself
about it? How would the mistake fit into the overall
pattern of your life? 

In other words: What kind of story do you live in?
Where do you think you come from and where do you
think you're going? 

You live by a story. Have you ever thought of it that
way? Each of us has a story, and we are the main
character in that story. If I interviewed you for a
couple of weeks, I could probably piece together a
coherent story that you live by even if youve never
really thought about it yourself. Its your life story
and it is the meaning of your life. 

For example, one story Washington could have told
himself was: "I am destined for failure." His father
died young, his mother was a nag. Compared to his
contemporaries, he was poor. Killing the French
ambassador could have been a final straw. He might
have concluded that he wasnt cut out for military work
and given up, climbed inside a bottle and we might
never have heard of him. 

Thats one story. Thats one context within which he
could have lived his life. And do you see that the
story leads to certain feelings and certain actions
consistent with the story? 

Heres another possibility: He could have thought he
was destined to make his mark in the world, and that
his mistake was the most important lesson he was ever
to learn. "Divine Providence," he could have told
himself, "is preparing me for a great task. I must
learn all I can from this mistake for it may affect
the future of the world." 

Do you think he would feel differently about the
circumstances of his life with this story? Of course
he would. Same circumstances, different story. But the
heroic story would make him learn important military
lessons from his mistake and it would help him persist
and endure hardships that would collapse a weaker
person. The story would give him strength. 

Judging by the letters he wrote home, the story he
lived by was a lot more like this second one than the
first one. And because he lived by that more inspiring
story, he persisted and he learned and he did make a
difference. 

Man of La Mancha, a musical made in 1972, is based on
the story Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Its an
entertaining story, but its also profound. 

Don Quixote sees the world as a quest, as an
adventure, and he sees a poor kitchen maid as a lady
of unsurpassed beauty and chastity. He dreams the
impossible dream, he fights the unbeatable foe, he
looks at life as a challenge to do good in the face of
evil and make the world a better place. He wants to
dedicate his victories to the kitchen maid, his Lady. 

She is bitter about life, full of anger. 

"Why do you do these things?" she asks him. 

"What things?" 

She bursts out in frustration, "Its ridiculous, the
things you do!" 

He answers simply, "I come in a world of iron to make
a world of gold." 

"The worlds a dung heap," she says, "and we are
maggots that crawl on it." 

Two different stories, same objective reality. Yet one
lives in a life of nobility and beauty and adventure,
and the other lives in filth and misery and hatred. 

What kind of story do you live? Is it heroic? Or is it
weak? Do you have a sense of destiny? Or do you have a
sense of emptiness? What do you think is your destiny?
The destiny of Earth? The destiny of the human race?
The story you tell yourself -- the myth within which
you live your life -- strongly affects your feelings
and the ultimate outcome of your life. And it can
change. You can change it deliberately.





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