If you haven't spent the last ten years under a rock, you will have noticed that something is getting out of hand here on earth. We are plagued by massive upheavals and contradictions in almost every area of life. The old is dying, the new is not yet alive: the essence of a crisis - ambiguity. Contingency. Simultaneity.
Or as Rainhard Fendrich said in "Kein schöner Land":
Something is eating away at yoursoul
Something won't leave you alone.
Something, something is just squeezing your throat.
It feels like you're slowly bleeding.
A feeling as if you've been crying.
A feeling as if you have united the longing of all time within you.
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TOO LAZY TO READ ON? THEN LISTEN TO ME:
In the blogcast, I read this recent blog article to you. With emphasis, of course!
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All too many speak of hope as a phenomenon from the past.
What has disturbed us so much? I ask myself that more and more often. You too?
And this despite the fact that the facts and statistics clearly show it: We, the human race, have never been better off than we are today, despite everything that worries us. All of this is supported and driven by powerful stories that define us. With which we describe ourselves and explain to each other what we respect, what we ostracize, what we want, desire and find valuable. They are essentially variants of the stories of security, hedonism, reason, growth and self-realization. And above all about the fact that good must win against evil, that we must win, because we are the good guys. Who else?
If the history of mankind is one thing, it is definitely the story of an unprecedented triumph. There is no doubt about that, despite all the distortions and abominations that can also be seen here. "A story of heroes and success!", one would like to exclaim happily.
However, I wonder what kind of success is meant in the success stories if only a vanishingly small proportion of people still have a positive inner relationship with their own work, while depression, burn-out, suicidal thoughts, broken families and partnerships, alcohol and drug abuse are rampant among the group of so-called successful people.
What exactly do we mean by wellbeing and prosperity in a society in which everything is growing except life satisfaction? For example, when the number of mentally ill people is growing, especially among young people? - No, this number is not growing. Exploding better describes what is happening here.
The soundtrack features Rainhard Fendrich:
Something can no longer be right
Something has gone wrong
Someone, someone has denied you your freedom.
Who can advise us?
In the cacophony of quick, simple and simply wrong answers being handed out all around us, the question eats its way to the surface: How did we end up here? Why exactly here, please? And why now, please?
Attention, this is going to hurt for a moment. For once, there is actually a simple answer to this, which is about as simple as a punch in the jaw, just as accurate and also really painful: we are where we are because we are who we are. And we are like the stories we tell ourselves and each other. It is precisely these stories that have gotten out of hand.
When we tell the stories, these gloriously glowing stories of duality & security, success & self-realization, prosperity & growth, we are in fact, in the same breath, helping a dark inner story into the world that contaminates our thinking and guides our actions. We tell the story of fear, domination, fighting, defeating and the loss of everything that does not manifest in matter.
Duality, dominance and destruction rule the world.
These dark stories are told by ...
... Nations going at each other with weapons.
... economic powers that are attacking each other with sanctions.
... competitors who want to push others out of the market.
... politicians in the maelstrom of declining trust.
... acrobats on the career ladder.
... people when they are facing each other on a narrow sidewalk.
They tell of ...
... truth - and mean: being right.
... well-being - and mean: owning a lot.
... justice - and think: No one has more than we do.
... reason - and think: let's exploit everything and everyone.
Has that disturbed us so much? Are we still in our right mind? Can we still be saved?
What if?
Yes, what if we could be saved after all? Which monster would we have to fight, eliminate, defeat?
Or what if it were true that our stories drive, carry and guide our lives? That before something is created, a story is created about it. That before something changes, the story that is told about it changes. What if what Joseph Campbell said was true: "If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor." Or Plato: "He who tells the stories rules the world."
If all this is true (which has always been the case so far) - we wouldn't have to fight, eliminate or defeat anything, but everything would change. Improve even, if we tell ourselves the right story. A new, better story.
Wouldn't that be Columbus' egg, in the spirit of Erich Fromm: "For the first time in history, the physical survival of mankind depends on a radical change in the human soul."
So what if we simply change the stories we tell ourselves and each other about security, hedonism, growth, duality, reason and self-realization? New Story. New Glory. - That would be.
The New Story is built on the solid foundation of a clear set of values that supports and drives everything. It begins with the words "It will be" and then tells the story:
... of the true interconnectedness of everything in everything.
... of inspiration and inspiration.
... of boundless cooperation, also and even in antagonistic cooperation.
... from mutually empowering mentors.
... of work as an opportunity to shape the world.
... of experiencing meaning in growing through one's own contribution to the big picture.
... of growth and profit as a result of excellent, beneficial work.
The New Story Manifesto.
I have written my thoughts on this in an impulse book. "The New Story Manifesto" is written on the front cover, and underneath it says: "With a better story into our new era - as people, companies and society." Yes, we need better stories, we need a new story, the NEW STORY that makes us strong - as people, companies and society. The ideas in this book are an encouragement, a guide and an invitation in equal measure. That is why it is dedicated to the people of the New Story Republic - the loving peacemakers, healers and innovators.
If you want it, you can order it here. I will be happy to write a personal dedication for you.
The extraordinary Ali Mahlodji (international keynote speaker, author, entrepreneur, investor and EU Youth Ambassador) has already read it and says: "A book made for a world in upheaval - as a powerful impulse for all those seeking clarity and new perspectives in uncertain times. I hope that many people will read it - the world needs it!" Thank you, Ali!
He hasn't listened to "The New Story Manifesto" yet, because the audiobook won't be available for a few weeks. Or right now, as a gift for you. If you order the book by Christmas and email us the confirmation of purchase, I'll give you the audiobook as an .mp3 as a gift.
By the way: you can download the manifesto here free of charge and hang it on the wall, distribute it, put up posters, nail it to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church - you get the idea ...
Either way, if we share a new, better story - as people, as a company, as a society - we will understand what we are really here for. We will understand and accept ourselves and each other better. Then we would all be more loving with ourselves than we are now, and with our fellow human beings we would be too. Our world would be a more peaceful place than it is today.
By the way: I'll read the audio book to you myself, while my grandmother, old Story Dudette, smiles knowingly and a bright thought flits across her beautiful old face: New Story. New Glory.