For the room I call Human Condition I want to collect important ideas that help us understand what it means to be human. I think that the more we understand about our own and each other’s humanity, the more we can work with it—make better choices, be more compassionate, see life in new ways. As an artist, reader and seeker, the human condition is my jam.

Today’s idea comes from a character in a (really good) story I read recently. I think about this idea a lot. Maybe every day. I think it’s safe to say we live in a pretty cynical time and most of us seem to be feeling pessimistic about the modern world. Just look at our media, news or entertainment, which is of course a mirror. my unscientific analysis shows that there are at least nine stories about violence, horror, murder, exploitation and greed to one about human goodness.

Of course! They are much easier to sell. Despair is easier than hope.

But is it true?

What if we paid more attention to stories other people tell like here and here.

We tell and listen to stories everywhere we go—in art (books, television, film, video, paintings, performance, music…), in all the the modern influenced corners of the our world (news, social media, corporate messaging), in our families and relationships, and of course, in our own minds. Story telling is the human super power.

So what if we started telling different stories?

See what else I’ve added to my home on the interwebs lately:

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