The Viral Power of Stories

A few weeks ago I saw Mike Daisey's workshop of "Bad Faith" and how mistrusts spreads through social media, politics, and in loving relationships that turn ugly. I was so stunned by his analysis that I called up a friend who was going through a very rough exchange with a former partner. They hadn't spoken in years and there were many pressing financial issues piling up. I told them about bad faith and how that can start in a relationship, according to Mike Daisey. We spoke on the phone for 30 minutes about ways to un-do the seeds of mistrust based on the observations that Daisey presented in the piece (which I will not spoil). This evening my friend called me up to thank me. After a 2-year wall of silence, they were not talking to their ex to resolve dire issues. The bad faith that had been formed and re-enforced itself into a seemingly impenetrable wall...had melted away with an email, phone conversation, an agreement. My friend was able to recognize what their partner was doing and, instead of attacking...defuse the situation entirely. The stories we tell ourselves and others spread. They change lives. Actual lives. Actual people struggling with real things can transform them by hearing a compelling play or musical or movie. Hatred dissolves, mistrusts evaporates, bad faith can be removed...just by words.

I can't help but think there are plays which will cause people to NOT commit suicide or stop cycles of abuse. There are stories like A STRANGE LOOP or BAD FAITH or OCTET which will actually stop people from killing themselves...or someone else. These are plays that actually shift the makeup of relationship, grow empathy, spread goodwill.