“Narrative power analysis starts with the recognition that the currency of story is not necessarily truth, but rather meaning. In other words, we often believe in a story not necessarily because it is factually true; we accept a story as true because it connects with our values, or is relevant to our experiences in a way that is compelling.” — Patrick Reinsborough and Doyle Canning

I'm working on a bit of a reading and study project for myself over the next few months related to community organizing and mutual aid. I haven't fully defined the topic yet; though I have picked a handful of books. The first one I've started is Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba's Let This Radicalize You. I picked this up a couple years ago and never got to it. This study project gives me a good excuse.

They start with an important reminder: facts rarely move people to action. Rather, they suggest, you reach people with stories.

This isn't an earth shattering idea—it's something advertisers have known for decades. People think in stories. It's the dominant way we communicate with others. We use them to make sense of our lives. One of my favourite things I ever wrote was what began as an intro to the final writing project in my masters but became a sort of mini essay that took on its own life. It's a short exploration on how we use stories to make meaning out of things that we would otherwise struggle to put into words. It's also about Godzilla.

This is what drew me to this quote that Hayes and Kaba reference in this section I was reading. The currency of storytelling is not truth, but meaning. This is why story is stronger than facts. It speaks a deeper sort of truth, one that is true not because of an accurate description of events but because we find meaning in it.