The Template For All of Our Stories Part II

A Beacon, A North Star

In Part 1 of this series, I laid the groundwork for the idea that in our reality there is a central archetypal story that all other stories come from.

The primary elements for all the great stories include:

• Paradise gained and lost, or at the very least, a status-quo that’s upset somehow

• Deception and betrayal

• Murder and death

• Usurpation and abuse of power by an enemy

• Injustice and conquest

• An underdog

• Signs, miracles, prophecies and foreshadowing of salvation from the oppressor

• A savior

• Sacrifice

• Redemption

• Restoration

• Victory and glory

If you’re willing to play along with this idea, then what’s the significance? Why does it matter? What’s the point of me writing about it?

I’m glad you asked.

First, it brings me personally great comfort to know that if this is true, then life truly does have meaning, purpose, direction, and signposts to point the way forward. That there IS a way forward. That there IS an arc, a plan, even if I can’t possibly see or understand it from my limited point of view. It gives me hope to know that as the challenges come and go, I don’t have to be tossed on the waves. It give me hope to know that life isn’t just a vain pursuit of temporary things until I die. How empty is that life! And it give me great hope to know that all will be set right, that there is real justice and mercy, and that one day, I will see things as they truly are - infinite.

Second, it leaves no question of the reality of good and evil, regardless of how muddled those two things can be. I need to know there are lines, real lines, because if there are, then things fall on one side or the other. The maddening and fun part is learning what falls where.

As an aside, I would HIGHLY recommend this Jordan Peterson lecture on enlightenment, good, and evil. It ties in well with this mini-series I’m doing. Links to the entire speech are in the description on that video.

Third, it gives me power. If you have no legs to stand on, no foundation, then you’re continually prone to follow the masses, and we we’ve well seen over the past two or two thousand years, the masses are a MESS. The mob is fickle, anxious, and insane. You and I are here, most likely, because we refuse to submit to mob-think. There’s something about the archetype story we choose to believe in that links us to the common foundational elements that serve humanity well. The crowd has no real link to anything solid. There is power in belief, and there’s TRUE power in belief in the lasting, eternal principles that govern the universe.

Fourth, it frees me from the crushing weight of being my own god. Humans are TERRIBLE gods. We strive and we run and we build and we plan and we destroy as we vainly try to build and sustain our own kingdoms, in our own power. So many of us have been living like this for so long, and how does that leave us? Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Fearful. I’m not saying we can’t build a peaceful life that we’re proud of, because we absolutely can and must. I’m working as hard as I can to do what’s right, what’s sustainable, and what’s allowing me to live in abundance. I want to build good things, for myself, my family, and for society, and out of the abundance I’m given, give in return. But I also realize I am not the center of the universe. This life has very little to do me. I’m just playing a part. Knowing that allows me to play my part well without overshooting a target that I don’t even know exists, like so many people do.

Last, it brings me great peace. Besides being someone who has been obsessed with understanding Truth, my desire to understand Peace is only slightly behind that pursuit. They really go hand in hand, but I believe to isolate on Peace itself is one of the most vital pursuits in this life. Our entire reality as humans is one of war. The epic spiritual war. The war between man and man. The war between man and self. Believing in this story brings me great peace, because it helps me to better understand my place in the wars. When to BE a warrior - in my family, in society, and in myself. When to stay my hand. When to deal with the toxic voices in my head and heart as they creep in, like they do. I’ll write at least an article on what it means to be a “peacemaker”, because it can be a subject that is so incredibly misunderstood, but one that’s so vital.

We can see that mankind yearns for and intrinsically understands there IS a template for all of our stories, and the things we pursue, create, say, do, and believe reflect that. It’s like a north star, a magnetic pole, that each one of us resonates with. A beacon, collectively guiding humankind over thousands and thousands of years. We may not agree on the origin or the specifics, as you can see from comments on my Part I article, but the fact that somehow, someway, this archetype exists is absolutely vital to understanding the human race and the universe we find ourselves in.

We’re going to continue to tell this story. We’re going to differ on the particulars, on who the heroes and villains are. We’re going to love and hate parts of it. We’re going to hope, and we’re going to be disappointed.

But our hearts will always, ALWAYS, resonate when this story hits us personally, because it’s the story that guides and shapes us. Hopefully this little mini-series has given you something more to think about. Hopefully its one tiny adjustment to the lenses you’re seeing life through. Sometimes the smallest adjustments make the most profound difference.

So, fellow human, keep searching. Keep feeling your way forward and, like my man Neal Cassidy, driving through the hallucinations and distractions. You are not a nameless, faceless bot in the mob of history. You are a key player in a universal, eternal, epic story. You matter. And deep down, you know it. The Story pulses in you, is alive in you. Let it continue to write its script on your heart.