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The Story That You Want To Hear

Do we tune out the truth?

By Ben ShelleyPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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The Story That You Want To Hear
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
  • When you walk into Waterstones do you head to the Romance section or the Fiction?
  • Do you choose to watch The Apprentice or Star Trek?
  • Do you choose to read the Daily Mail or the BBC?

Life is full of stories and we have a choice as to whether or not we listen or hold our hands over our ears, that is the benefit of being human. We have a choice.

What is the Truth?

  • If life is full of choice, then is there truth or is there interpretation?
  • Is the truth a consideration that is reserved for debate and on this basis, you can never prosecute crimes?

The latter question here is one that I disagree with as if you have irrefutable evidence of someone committing the crime e.g. they are caught on video holding the weapon, then truth is easy to ascertain, but the reasons for the act are not.

  • Was it a crime of passion?
  • Were they pushed to it by being part of a gang or not being able to support their family?
  • Was it an accident?
  • Was it a 'sleep crime' (these do exist and I recommend that you read The Power of Habit for more information)?
  • Was it considered an act of mercy?

As you can see from the list above, the reasons for committing a crime can be about as long as Father Christmas’ list. The interpretation as to whether they are telling the truth or making up the story to avoid jail time is accordingly, open to interpretation.

Truth can be proved such as coastal erosion (we simply video the cliff edge and measure the distance to the sea every year), but the reasons for it can be debated…Was it due to God and his desire to reshape the world or simply the scientific fact that water smashes against it every day?

Religion here is most likely the biggest example of hearing the story that you want to hear. Why? There is no empiric evidence that God exists, it is belief and even if I walked into the nearest church and handed around a document proving otherwise, how many would look at it?

The Workplace

If you are beginning work this year then please take note, every workplace and social construct in life includes politics. It is human nature to offer opinions on those around, with hierarchies playing a key part in this thought process. Office workers gossip about those higher up in equal measure as those that they work with.

It is a fact that we cannot get away from. Politics exists, from the lowliest worker to the hardiest Chief Executive. We will often receive promotions and salary increases based on the story that we sell. Our ability to do the job is secondary, with the consideration of ‘It’s not you know, it’s who you know’ reigning supreme.

It’s a sobering thought that regardless of how good you feel you are at your job and how much evidence you have as to the difference that you provide, you could simply be turned over due to politics. You could diligently work all of the hours under the sun but if you are not considered part of the team then you will be left behind.

The inevitable conclusion to workplace politics is that you can choose to play them or let your work shine through. Something that I have always been diligent of as I never wanted to politic my way to the top and do, deep down rather fear people, yet know that as an island, I cannot survive.

What Can We Do?

Nothing. You cannot and will not be able to change the world overnight. Change takes time and that is something that will not alter during our lifetimes, but we can choose to be different. To acknowledge that politics exist and as much as possible, decide not to get involved. This is something that is easier said than done as even a simple conversation such as the following can be taken out of context:

‘Hey xx, how are you doing? Have you met the new manager? What do you think of them’?

‘They are alright but seem a little quiet’

A very basic example, I know, but the example should still resonate as the reply could be misconstrued and shared around the organisation. The word 'quiet' might be picked up and deemed as an individual who is lacking in confidence, a consideration that seems innocuous until it reaches the ears of management. They may be nervous that someone who is employed to manage is coming across as quiet and what they want is dynamic.

The lesson here is that regardless of what you do or say, politics will find you at some point and then you will be responsible for creating a narrative. You can choose not to comment but then that could be evasive and out of context that could be damaging, so you can understand why people reply.

Everyone is human and at the end of the day, what will be, will be but in that is the consideration of trust. Having those in our life that we trust and trust to buy into our story and share it, not simply the people that glance at the blurb and throw it back.

What we can choose to do is endear trust through consistent actions that create a reputation that casts aside any suggested change in narrative. Whilst truth is subjective, the more readers that we have, the better, as they are those who will champion our story and share it around in the manner that we wish.

A Final Thought

The story that we want to hear is oftentimes the story that is not the most popular. We all have a goal to be happy and to live the best life possible, the tragedy of this is that sometimes, circumstances outside of our control lead our train to be derailed.

Our story can be hijacked by another and especially in the age of screens and social media, the truth can be invented. If that was not the case then we would not need fact checkers to confirm if a story of a giant pizza being made in Wembley was real or not. If we do not create a positive tribe that believes in us then we leave us open to manipulation.

Stories are inventions and oftentimes elements are stretched or accentuated, but the core is what matters. What sits at the heart of proceedings is the key element that we use to attract a tribe that is interested in our formula. The equations for which are what life is about and not playing politics.

We can choose which stories that we wish to hear and ignore those that are not of interest. What is key here is that we should ensure that we are open to reading any story and not pre-judge stories based on their blurb.

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About the Creator

Ben Shelley

Someone who has no idea about where their place is in this world, yet for the love of content, must continue writing.

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