It takes a new story to change a paradigm
Why Woke didn't work
With so much negativity in the world, it’s good to notice how art (rather than legislation) is chipping away at the old paradigm.
The old paradigm is linear. The higher up the ladder we go, the narrower we become. The new paradigm is circular - the faster we spiral, the wider the circle becomes - the more we can contain within its force field.
The way this looks in practice… At primary school, we start off doing ALL THE THINGS. Then we drop subjects like singing and “running for no reason”, then we start focusing on 3 or 4 academic subjects. Then we narrow it down to one subject, like science, then more granular to medical science until finally we become a doctor… no wait, there’s more! Eminent world-leading liver specialist!
We go from “knowing nothing about everything” (the child, who has a direct experience of life) to “knowing everything about one thing” (the Expert… who performs life rather than fully experiencing it). From living in the heart (a roller coaster ride of every emotion) to living in the head (controlled, narrow bandwidth of emotion).
Using this model, many people felt cheated at the final prize-giving ceremony - by which time they could be on their third marriage or hiding a mind-numbing addiction (perks of the job - write your own prescriptions!)
Linear progression feels safe and orderly, but how does it feel at the end? There’s always an end with a line - either you get tired or you run out of road. Spirals are fun and energetic. They pull in curious observers making them collaborators and co-creators.
Old paradigm thinking is limited “You’re either with me or against me”. It puts everyone and everything into one of two boxes - right and wrong.
New paradigm thinking unites everyone and everything into “both/and” or “it depends” or “How creative can we get trying to wrap this thing that won’t fit into any box?”.
The storyline of the old paradigm is The Hero’s Journey. Its soundtrack is My Way by Frank Sinatra. We leave home (travelling solo of course). We compete, fight, and achieve status (fancy job titles, financial reward, followers). We get to be right about everything that’s wrong. We win. The End.
Homer wrote The Odyssey 2700 years ago, so this classic story arc has been with us for some time. In this tale, Odysseus leaves home, fights the Trojan war for ten years, then fights the Gods for a further ten years before returning as the conquering Hero.
The writers and director of its most recent re-imagining (The Return starring Ralph Fiennes) places a different emphasis on the same events. Odysseus has time for a bit of self-reflection and turning down the dial of narcissism. He realises that in war nobody really wins. It often feels like shit after the adrenaline surge wanes. Also, “Being right” means there can never be change or growth. Just a life sentence in a bad story.
I’ve just finished a Fear to Flow workshop. At the end of the workshop, there’s always a “high” created by the expansive experience of being outside this linear, duality consciousness.
The mind… Thinking is less rigid and more creative, bringing lightbulb moments in which our fragments of reality are seen in a wider context.
The heart… Emotional capacity is expanded, allowing us to feel compassion for the fears and flaws in others, and in ourselves.
The solar plexus… As we face and transform the need to be right, the need to hide, and the need to seek vengeance, our capacity for fierce love and infinite creativity is increased.
The tricky thing is – old stories have a lot of magnetism, so without awareness, they can pull us back in again. (Think Al Pacino in the Godfather… Oh well, back to killing again.)
The new story arc for our times (a circle rather than a straight line) doesn’t have a beginning, middle and end. It’s about how imaginative, interesting and engaging we can make the story, how well we can tell it, and how long we can tell it for. It’s about all the C words – community, collaboration, and creativity.
Politicians can’t help in this regard. They’re too left-brain, too hierarchical in their power structures. It’s down to creatives to help humanity survive now.
One day archetype courses coming soon in central London. Keep the magic alive!