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It’s a sad fact that most people can’t even spot a story when they see one. Most people don’t know that stories aren’t confined by the covers of books or by half-hour slots on TV. The world is made of stories. The world is driven by stories. When a sunburned-friend tells you about their holiday, it’s not a straight list of everything that happened to them – it’s a story, an anecdote with a plot, a beginning, a middle and an end. Each one of their holiday snaps is a story too. When you’re making a decision, and you imagine the possible outcomes – what are you doing if not telling yourself a story? History is a story. Society is a story. Countries are stories. Your plans are stories. Your desires are stories. Your own memories are stories – narratives selected, trimmed and packaged by the hidden machinery in your mind. Human beings are story engines. We have to be – to understand stories is to understand the world.
