Storytelling defines our lives. Science says it is in our DNA. Here's why we must recognize this to prevent the collapse of our society into chaos.

Before humans had words and books, we had body language. We used body language to warn each other about danger from wild animals. By pointing at bears we indicated that bears are dangerous. That if we don't change our position and run away, they will hurt us.

What were these hand gestures ?

They were stories.

Stories are media of transmitting information of a specific type. They describe how characters (animals/people) change / will change over time. What actions they perform / will perform to result in these changes. How these changes affect them / will affect them.

Humans discovered their storytelling DNA before inventing language. How did this happen?

Because of one of our genetic traits which scientists call the 'plasticity' of the brains. Plasticity is like software that allows our brains' CPUs to evolve over time. It allows us to learn from our experiences so that we can understand what has happened in the past. With this knowledge, we can alter our behavior in the future to avoid catastrophe. This is what we call 'evolution'.

Plasticity helps us to detect changes. This is synonymous with the ability to understand stories. Evolution itself is thus a result of our power to comprehend stories.

We each tell ourselves stories all the time through the voice in our head that says 'I am XYZ'. This defines our identity. The stories we tell ourselves as children determine the kind of adults that we become.

We tell each other stories to define our relationships. Our society is nothing but the compound network of these story-driven relationships.

Our stories bind and divide us. Religions, countries, democracies, dictatorships, capitalism and communism are all stories. Stories can be either true or false. But it's difficult to separate the false ones from the truth. As long as a story activates the plasticity software of our minds, we have a tendency to believe it, even if it is false.

The greatest storytellers of history have convinced millions to believe their stories. To build empires. To commit genocide. To pursue science. To create art.

The more people that believe a story, the more powerful it becomes, regardless of whether it is true or false.

Hence, it is our duty to each other to point out which stories are false. So that we don't fall prey to collective delusions.

We must become better storytellers to prevent the collapse of our society into chaos.

What are some popular false stories being peddled as truth in the modern world?