Brian_1_I

Let's talk about faith...

I'm one of those cool folks who is also awaiting delivery of The Story Factor...

Should arrive in the next few days but in the meantime I've read the google scholar blurbs and discovered something of interest in the first few pages. (work with what you got, right)

Most people who know me a bit under the surface know I put very little 'faith' in faith. I consider myself a realist and I'm most comfortable when surrounded by facts and numbers. Believing in anything I can't evaluate in scientific terms (social science is a science too) just doesn't happen. My dad ingrained an instant avoidance of anything gimmicky product wise...perhaps I took that a step too far.

People generally don't like talking politics with me. This, of course, makes me sad; I always enjoy rambunctious scholarly discussions with thoughtful people. The thing I miss is that people have blind faith in some beliefs and others (read: most) are just arrogant and irrelevant. Then I come along, confident as usual due to my obsessive ingestion of multi-faceted news and personal primary research. I have numbers, I have mixed theories, and at the end of the day I feel that the opinions I've developed are about as accurate as my 'progressive experience filter' will allow. We sit around and begin chatting and instantly I start evaluating people's opinions and as their ideas drift further away from mine I start discounting...basically everything they say. Then it's my turn to talk and I speak with authority but little spirit...little faith.

My ultimate goal in most political discussions is to make the other person reconsider their own beliefs to be reformed closer to my own. Somewhat self serving, I know, but it's my mission to fight for the underdogs of society. It's not an operation of manipulations as I believe I'm fighting for truth in a confusing media world.

Unfortunately numbers and under-the-surface political theory doesn't make the sell for many. I'm missing an important factor if I'm ever going to be successful with this goal and Simmons hits the nail on the head. I need stories...not numbers...if I'm ever going to inspire the faith required to change others.

"Telling a meaningful story means inspiring your listeners -- coworkers, leaders, subordinates, family, or a bunch of strangers -- to reach the same conclusions you have reached and decide for themselves to believe what you say and do what you want them to do. People value their own concussions more highly than yours" (Simmons 3)

I bet the chapter goes much deeper and I'm actually looking forward to reading it...at least this is digital...ehh?