Stories are the most powerful force of civilization

Nothing can influence a human quite like a story

I had an internship at National Geographic Television my junior year of college. An absolute dream come true. 

I was sent to film in Mongolia, Ecuador, and I wrapped up my internship in Kenya. 

Except I’m lying to you. My role as an intern at Nat Geo consisted primarily of burning DVDs for producers. 

Yes, DVDs. I realize I just dated myself…

So there I was working for free, putting up with a swampy Washington DC summer, and “dubbing” DVDs of half finished TV documentaries. I did other grunt work as well like fact checking, proofreading, transcribing, and expense reports.

I don’t mean to complain because I was surrounded by some wildly talented people and I definitely learned a thing or two.

In fact, I will never forget a conversation I had with an executive producer, Linda Goldman. It was at the end of my internship and she was asking me about what I had learned. I started rattling off a bunch of technical skills like how to write a TV show “treatment” and how a production schedule is laid out.

Then I said, “and also little things like storytelling.” Bad answer.

Linda is a very nice person but how I remember this moment is as follows:

• Her friendly smile turned into a concerned frown

• Her concerned frown turned into a patronizing half-smile (this told me she was not mad, just disappointed) 

• She began to explain that storytelling is not a little thing but the thing

I remember this moment so clearly. I remember the chair I was sitting in. I remember how Linda was positioned in a way that made her seem three feet taller than me.

But most importantly I remember thinking, “if I don’t understand the power of storytelling, I’ll never get a job here.”

A story has the power to create a physical reaction in your body

It can make you cry, laugh, or give you goosebumps.

We all have examples of great books or movies that prove this point.

I recently rewatched the movie Rudy and couldn’t hold back the tears during that final scene.

Rudy, running out onto that Notre Dame field for his first regulation game. His father, jumping from his seat in the stands, euphorically cheering him on in disbelief.

An hour and a half of storytelling was needed to make this single moment so emotional.   

But what’s really amazing, is in the fact that a story can be extremely short and still physically impactful.

Take for instance Hemingway’s famous six word story: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

A story has the power to stick with you for your entire life

Even if you want to get rid of it. Especially if you want to get rid of it.

There’s an Edgar Allen Poe story I wish I never read. I am haunted by this story whenever I go into dark basements or see loose bricks. Many of you may know the story I’m alluding to, The Cask of Amontillado.  

I read this story in the 6th grade and still feel uncomfortable when I think of it.

My life would be slightly better without the fear of immurement by a friend. But I can’t forget this story and never will for as long as I live. 

And of course the opposite is true. Happy stories stick too. 

Of all the kids stories I was told growing up, the Tortoise and the Hare is most recallable. A simple story with simple characters and a simple message: “as you move from place to place, slow and steady wins the race.” 

The feelings I have towards that cocky hare are present to this day. And so is my respect for the wise, determined tortoise.      

A story’s greatest power is in its ability to create change

Stories are used to reason our decisions and take action. 

What first comes to mind here: religion.

Most religions I know of aren’t based on facts, but faith. Faith, in a story. 

Now I’m not here to proclaim whether that story is true or not. I’m simply saying that a religion’s story is powerful enough to impact our morals, rituals, and day-to-day lives. Our understanding of the universe itself is changed through these stories.

So that’s at the top level. What’s equally impressive is a story creating tiny change.

A simple example… A few years back I needed to buy a pen. But for the first time in my life I wanted to buy a nice pen.

This thought triggered an old memory of a story a good friend told me. His dad loved using pens by some German company called Lamy. He said when he was a kid he’d rummage through his dad’s desk to find the pen and the associated ink cartridges. He got an odd, simple pleasure out of unloading the used cartridge and then loading a fresh one into the pen.

My search for a nice pen was over before it began. I bought a Lamy because of a nearly forgotten and insignificant story I was told years ago.

Stories beat facts, every time

For better or worse…

That’s because we are more likely to believe something if we can imagine it happening.

Take the lottery. Your odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 300 million. You’re more likely to die from a vending machine accident (1 in 112 million).

And yet, in the U.S. we spend $73 billion a year on lottery tickets.

Because winning feels possible. We’ve read stories of it happening. We’ve seen the happy winners on TV. We’ve put ourselves in the winner’s shoes by asking each other “what’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?”

Another less fun example: kidnapping. 

A child getting kidnapped is rare in the U.S. A fraction of 1% (.0004%) of children are abducted by a stranger. 

But try giving that fact to my mother who raised me and my four brothers in the 80s and 90s. The “Stranger Danger” felt too real. There were enough specific stories my mom could recall from the news to change how us kids got to and from anywhere.

I still get creeped out by unmarked vans and ice cream trucks.

Could life exist without stories?

Sure. Just look at any animal species.

Could civilization exist without stories? Doubt it.

Nothing I’ve said here is new and much of it is obvious.

So, why even write this article? What’s the goal here?

This is my ode to storytelling. A celebration of the thing that is at the very foundation of my career which started in journalism and has led me to creating content.

If I don’t understand the power of stories, I can’t create compelling content. Or content that gives you goosebumps. Or content that sticks with you. Or content that creates change.

But thanks to Linda Goldman, I do get it. And have never forgotten it.

Stories are the most powerful force of civilization.