The following is written by a guest blogger. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions of Bob Lacey, Sheri Lynch or the Bob & Sheri show.
It is not simply because of the amazing scenery, nudity and fire-breathing dragons that Game of Thrones was such a huge success. It goes deeper than that. Basically, it is because we humans are naturally drawn to mythical storylines which spark our imaginations – and in the case of Daenerys and John Snow, this weekly serving of fantasy came with a tasty side of sexual undertones.
As children, we all are ingrained with a huge imagination and an aptitude to fantasize. Because our personal super heroes (parents) titillate us (when we are the most vulnerable and open to suggestion) with stories of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, we are literally wired to believe in myths.
Fortuitously for mom and dad, passing on these playful traditions isn’t just about creating magical moments – these stories come with built-in behavior control tools. “Johnny, stop pulling your sister’s hair!” can now be expeditiously embellished with “Santa Claus is watching and he won’t bring you any toys!” So, no harm no foul right?
While at some point our observational skills surpass our childish exhilaration of believing in fairies, elves and flying reindeer – unfortunately, the neural pathways which frame our internal narratives are deeply entrenched. It becomes part of our human nature to believe in things our eyes can’t see, in narratives which make us “feel” good about ourselves and help us make sense of the world. After all, we were programmed that way from early on.
In adulthood however, internal narratives based on myths can be detrimental to our psychological health. The more we believe in myths – whether about ourselves or our fellow man, the more rigid we become in our thinking. In turn, rigid beliefs not based on reality, logic and facts become the fuel for bigotry, racism, feelings of superiority, closed mindedness, paranoia and a multitude of psychosis.
“My dad is stronger than your dad” becomes “my God is better than your God” or “my race is smarter than your race”, etc.
Just as parents use myths to control bad behavior – many in powerful leadership roles utilize the same tools. Those who have harnessed and mastered the power of group think use it to manipulate their followers to achieve a desired outcome.
Cult leaders, dictators, despots and radicalized religious or political zealots all understand the power of an emotionally-charged, stimulating narrative. These skilled manipulators get it. Unfortunately, the malleable, easily persuaded, non-independent thinkers often don’t get it, before it is too late.
What we all need to understand hopefully sooner than later is everything is a narrative. Every deeply held belief is a story which has been written in our neural pathways through negative or positive reinforcement over time. You are what you believe you are. Your beliefs dictate your internal narrative. Your narrative becomes the filter through which you perceive all incoming information, stimulus and data.
These are the truths that neuroscientists are discovering about the human brain and the science behind why we believe what we believe.
If we don’t use our own critical thinking skills to evaluate information – we can be duped, manipulated and controlled by fear-based ideology used in the same fashion as the Santa Claus story; to make us believe and behave. And that is not as sexy and harmless as GOT; it is a scary story – scary indeed, which has proven to be true over and over again.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
