I’ve been thinking a lot about narratives and filters lately, both on a global scale but also on a micro level and how people can create their own narrative based on filters that skew how they see things.

I’ve seen this in some of the relationships in my personal life—people seeing things very differently based on their experiences and filters. It’s led to some interesting conversations.

It’s only natural to derive our opinions and views based on the experiences and influences in our life. We all do this. But it seems to me there are more people concocting disturbing and trenchant narratives, often based on misinformation or their warped view of the world and this is causing seismic rifts in our personal lives and in the world.

The scary thing is when people see the world through artificial filters and false narratives, the narrative becomes justification for their actions. They stop caring about what others think, and believe what they want, often despite the facts. The narrative becomes their truth.

So how do we resist creating false narratives in our minds?

• Actively seek differing opinions.
• Don’t rely on a single news source. I had a conversation with one person recently who gets all their news from The Epoch Times. They took every word as gospel.
• Try to see things from other people’s perspectives and filters to build understanding, compassion and forgiveness.
• Don’t be afraid to question someone else’s narrative. If something doesn’t add up, do your own research.
• At the same time, challenge narratives you’ve created in your own mind. Are you seeing things clearly? What have you fabricated? What filters are you applying?
• Know there can be truth on both sides sometimes.
• Accept that most things aren’t black and white.
• Remember, actions always speak louder than words: Live your life in such a way that if someone was to ever speak badly of you, no one would believe them.

These are interesting times. We are more divided than ever. If we are going to rise above our own human frailty and fragility, we need to seek the true narrative.