StoryWise creates opportunities for people to look critically at the stories that guide our lives.
Stories are the currency of humanity. Whether we hear them from religious and political institutions, in the myths and fairytales of olde, from the companies that make the products we buy and use, or from the educators to teach us, the stories we hear inform our day-to-day decisions and guide our lives.
Media produced—and courses offered—under the StoryWise umbrella all share the common goal of promoting discernment, empowerment, and cognitive sovereignty.
While we could never list all of the stories that are worth scrutinizing, here are a few broad groups that we will tackle:
Stories about who we are. These stories explore the many facets of our identities, both as individuals and as collectives. Who are our people? How do we draw the line separating ourselves and our people from others? How do we, as individuals, fit into our communities, and into the broader world? How tolerant are we of those whose cultural patterns are different from ours? How compassionate are we towards those who struggle?
Stories about how the world came to be the way it is. These include origin stories for groups of people (American history), or for institutions that outlive the people who work to perpetuate them (religions, worldviews, languages). We can also broaden these stories to explore the history of the more-than-human world, reaching as far back into deep time as we dare speculate.
Stories about how the world works. These stories explore the mechanics of the world we live in. What narratives do we use to explain how money works, for example? Or how debt works? What stories do we use to explain political and economic policies that both promote and depend on perpetual growth? What stories do we tell about how our economies are tethered to the material world, to the minerals and energy that we mine? What stories do we tell about where our food and water come from, and the materials we use to make clothing, shelter, and other consumer goods?
Stories about what the future holds. These stories invite us to ponder what the next 10, 20, 50, 100, even 1,000 years might look like. If we continue on our current trajectory, what do the lives of our children look like? Our grandchildren? Our more distant descendants, seven generations down the line? What factors might prevent us from continuing on our current trajectory? What alternative futures can we imagine, and what factors might make those futures more or less likely?
If the idea of looking more critically at these and other stories intrigues you, use the Connect menu to sign up for our weekly newsletter. As we release media and open educational programs for enrollment, you will be the first to know!