Week 2: Myths & Personal Identity

This week's reading really stood out to me.  In the introduction to his book, The Stories We Live By, McAdams writes that we are all "tellers of tales." (p. 11)  We tell a story everyday of our lives, and our life as a whole is the completed work.  This makes me think of funerals.  When our friends and family are gathered together to commemorate our life, what story will be told?  And will the story spoken that particular day parallel the one that was told throughout our life?  This story may be the myth that we want everyone to remember and that we ourselves may have believed truly was. 

But in reality the actual story stems from everything we have done and said since we were old enough to be accountable for our own actions.  Of course we grow and change over the years, but in what way?  Do we really let our mistakes make us better individuals, or do we use these mistakes as a crutch to signify our "individuality" or "uniqueness?"  And although we can move on from those mistakes, does it make others forget they happened?  Do they think about us differently?  The story we've been telling may change, but did they read on?

Sometimes I speak before I think about how it might affect someone else.  Although I may not have meant it to hurt, I might not have considered that others don't think the way I do.  We all have different perceptions of events and things that go on in everyday life.  This changes our story, the story being read by a particular reader.  Professor Bennett commented in class that an author doesn't know how the reader(s) will feel about his work.  He can attempt to convey a certain message, but each reader brings a different set of experiences and background to their understanding of the words.

One of the ways modern technology has allowed us to tell our story is through facebook, myspace, blogs, and other social media.  We post our pictures, favorite quotes, movies, and interests for others to see.  These things reflect who we are by the association given to each item.  But again, the story may be read differently by different viewers.  Someone who doesn't believe in Christian values may view me negatively because I'm a Christian.  Another Christian may see something I have "liked" that they don't agree with, and thus they will have a negative view of me.  We may not realize it, but there is meaning behind everything we do.

The next time you post a status update or simply have a conversation with your friends, ask yourself, "What story am I telling?  Is this the story I want told at my funeral?"