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New narratives-- grounded and compelling (Mon afternoon)

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 7 months ago

"How do we create new narratives which are both grounded and compelling to tell the story of sustainable futures?"

Session notes  08/27/07  3:30 pm

 

Mark Tovey

Jan Keller

Fritz Hull

Larry Victor

BOOKS & other media we mentioned

=================================

Actual Minds, Possible Worlds    Jerome Bruner   (Larry mentioned)

Art of Possibility    Ben & Rosamund Zander    (Mark mentioned)

"Markings" --TV show of interviews/conversations  (about what it means to be in a marked category in society, a minority -- very reflective)  Neil Bissoondath, interviewer

Always Coming Home -- history of the future by Ursula K. LeGuin

Theory U  by C. Otto Scharmer  (also Presence by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Betty Sue Flowers, and Joseph Jaworski)

Looking Backward  Edward Bellamy -- novel from late 19th century -- futurist

 

A few interesting phrases/ideas that came up (selected by Jan after the session)

================================================================================

reality TV that shows people involved in the Shift

hypertext of a video

using graphical forms to display mathematical knowledge that helps people understand the patterns in the world

writing letters to our descendents-- anwering the question, "What did you do, once you knew?"

seeing the "Sacred Future" -- treating the future as sacred

"backcasting"  and "future history"

creative emergent eruption

 

General notes

==================

Mark has been thinking about the kinds of narratives that live in a particular time...

For example, it's been said that the 60's ended when Paul McCartney wrote Live and Let Die in 1973.  Before that, Beatles songs carried ideas or themes of the 60s.

But of course (Fritz asked)-- did Live and Let Die trip the change that happened at that time -- or reflect it?

Larry: "We Shall Overcome"  could shift to "We Are Becoming."

Fritz asked for more explanation of what Mark means by "narrative."

How many plots are there?  ... what are the standard tropes, metaphors, images, structures that we are using for plots?

Symbol of smokestack-- has shifted over time.

Some stories we see around us -- it's interesting to think about each one as currently practiced and how it might instead be practiced -- different form? different content?

-------------------------------------------------------

Detectives stories, mysteries -- familiar group of people, closed story

Game shows

Interview shows  (too often turn into argumentative forms, or "expert expounding")

Comedy skits

Reality TV   (why couldn't this show the Shift, the people in the movement?)

Soap opera  (mention of how Population Communication International uses this)

Hero's journey  (in the original form -- hero needed to learn both courage/power & humility/connection/respect -- but the story has often been warped to show a hero who is only learning/using brute power)

And another note about hero stories: implication is that you wait for the hero... instead of "be the change you seek"

From Mark: What about stories where someone accomplishes something really useful in a situation?  -- not just a trick. Something that other people can do, if they have everyday courage, knowledge, initiative.

 

Current writers sometimes use drama that's easy to come up with -- like fighting an enemy, escaping-- other kinds of stories take more to develop.

 

Expedition: An expedition is an example of another kind of story -- expedition can be a metaphor for a group that is working on a project to change something.  These expeditions can be narrated or vidoed... for example, a group working on a cyberspace solution to a problem -- it can be interesting to watch the conversation.

 

My Dinner with Andre came up -- shows people possibilities for transformation.

 

Larry talked about videos he planned, that were intended to be made with grants in Tuscon--  intended to be built around  videoing people watching short presentations that they would then discuss.  (Project didn't come together -- another person responsible for part of it couldn't handle their part of it.)

 

IDEA: hypertext of a video

 

Larry talked about using visual & graphical things to show mathematics. We watched a little video on Mark's computer.

This kind of thing can, if it's online, also be participatory.

 

Mark talked about "Soviet realism"-- have some useful information but are boring.

 

Jan talked about how we are in the middle of one of the most dramatic story-situations of all time... and it can translate into story-forms we're familiar with in our time.  Character is central.

 

Larry talked about how the change always starts with us.  For example, us learning to collaborate better... draw more people in as we work with our own process... not necessarily try to use forms of mass media.  People can be invited to tell stories...

 

There is the danger of having a lot of people all trying to make change all at once-- the infighting and factionalism can start to develop.  Organizations need an uplifting way to bring people in.

 

Importance of not building or pushing stories that will split people apart, or not doing it in a way that will split people apart.  (9/11 story has the potential to split people apart.)

 

Fritz talked about the fundamental importance of the human species recognizing how gravely serious our situation is -- without exaggeration or drama. This has the potential to inspire people and bring out their higher potential.   "We absolutely have to submit ourselves to the discipline of the future."  There are people who are increasingly incrementally uneasy, who at some point may be ready to do this.

 

Fritz asked... What about writing letters to our descendents-- anwering the question, "What did you do, once you knew?"   Or answering the question -- what would the people of the future say if you asked them "What do you wish we had done?"    Or how about the idea of picturing ourselves as having a task to pull off, something that's never been done-- a 100-year journey-- what are the possibilities for guidance, what are the possibilities for wisdom?   Could we, on this journey, know that we have what's needed, even though we don't know where it's going?  What can we tap into?  Shamanic ability?  What about seeing "Sacred Future"?

 

We talked about the idea of "backcasting"  and "future history"--  you picture, very clearly, a time sometime in the future, when everything worked out-- people are living in  peace with each other and with the planet -- picture education, homes, how people grow food, and so on -- then you work your way backwards, asking, "How did this come about?"

 

Larry talked about "future history" he wrote in 1975 for the year 2000.

 

 

Fritz thinks that the task is to ignite ourselves-- rise to the challenge.

 

Larry's phrase: creative emergent eruption

 

Larry's story idea: what if we pictured that we *were* going to go live on another planet -- and we set up places on Earth where we practice simulating how we would want to live -- and then realize we've learned how to live here on earth by doing this?

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