Narrative is a big part of the structure of our lives; of my life, too. It is comprised of the stories we tell ourselves; the version of things we want (need?) to maintain. I have a narrative. I keep it going. I use it, in whichever direction I find useful.
Ironically, even though we appear to consciously repeat it to ourselves, narrative is often unconscious and self-perpetuating...and, interestingly enough, can function as a means of off-setting things in our lives that we are actually feeling. It is interesting to consider how our narratives are subconsciously used to distance us from what our feelings are communicating to us about what we are experiencing, rather than lead us towards them.
To further distance ourselves, from ourselves, we now seem regularly embroiled in yet another iteration of the narrative-complex. My narrative is submerged in the narrative of the group I am connected to. In other words, I don't reflect nearly as much on my own narrative as the one that represents my group (nation, political party, community, church, family, etc.). This is highly problematic.
And, to make matters worse, even the narrative of the group I associate myself with easily becomes largely a counter-narrative. I am associated with 'us'. And 'we' are not associated with 'them'—what they're doing or (perhaps even more) what they're saying.
This use of narrative has so perpetuated itself (rather than simply 'us', or, even 'me') that very few actually ever talk to someone outside of their own group to notice what is both true and untrue about what their narrative is saying. When this happens, we also miss what is true and untrue about our own narrative, about my own narrative.
One of the greater ironies of this whole thing is that narrative, by definition, is a thing designed to tell a larger or whole story. It is an attempt to connect things or events to make a larger point.
And, that, is mostly what it is no longer doing—pointing to a larger essence of what is true or, at the very least, one that is large enough for all.
