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Believing In Stories

There are two ways to believe in stories.

Believing in some stories and not others

The conventional way is to believe in particular stories and not in other. We believe that the Earth is round, because science and travel tells us so. We believe the universe is expanding. We don't belive in (physical) dragons. And so on.

The most pervasive story is of course the story of "I", typically added to the fluid and temporary phenomena of this human self.

Allowing belief in stories to drop

Going beyond this, we can realize the folly of believing in stories altogether, in any story - no matter how reasonable, sane and well-supported it may seem.

It seems that this process can be gradual, starting in some areas of life and then spreading. We may realize that science is just a succession of stories, as are our religions, and actually all of our collective and individual worldviews.

These stories may be valuable and useful, aligned mostly with the world as it appears to us, and allowing us to navigate, explore and communicate. But still, they are just stories. Just ideas of what is. Just mental maps. Merely tools of limited and temporary value and use.

Eventually, we may be ready to see through the most pervasive story of them all, that of an "I". An independent and fixed "I", as a segment of the fluid seamless process of the universe.

And when the belief in this story unravels, the belief in other stories tend to unravel en masse.

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