In common language, an event is something that happens (changes), in particular something special of limited duration. An example of this is a major sporting event, concert or political rally. An event is an outcome, result, reference or single point of focus. In physics and philosophy, an event occurs at a point in time which can be distinguished because the state of the world changed; something was different before and after the event. It is our perception of the difference which sparks our search for meaning – we need to understand what has changed and why.
The way in which events are spliced together creates the narrative. And if the events you are talking about are about you, the narrative is yours. How do you feel when you think about the golden thread that links these events, in other words, your story? Do you feel:
Powerful
Courageous
Expansive
Timid…..
Some narratives are accepted as meaningful by groups of people. In fact,, agreement about ‘what has happened’ or ‘what is going on’ is a vitally important way in which we share our understandings about our culture. Our listening to and retelling of the narratives are also the way in which we are accepted into the group. Holding conflicting opinions exposes us to the threat of ostracism.
Culture is not something that can be touched, felt or measured – it exists by unconscious agreement and is continually refreshed by story. In fact, each story that we listen to and re-tell ourselves contributes to the culture. What do you start to think about the culture of a company from which the following stories emerge:
The MD will often single out someone in the management meetings for a harsh grilling that often results in the (normally female victim) running out of the boardroom in tears.
The accounting department is a bit shaky since __________ is there.
The cost of a mistake is very high here.
We are having a really challenging relationship with ________.
These could be called collective narratives or collective myths. These myths are the cornerstone of ‘reality creation’ and are most commonly about origins. They also tend to use the notion of opposites to construct who is in and who is out, as well as what is good and what is evil. Different societies employ different mechanisms for constructing a collective identity. Some might construct collective identity as the opposite of the identity of an enemy. Some construct collective identity as the belief in something bigger than the individual, like a god, a collective victory, revolution, discovery or even the invention of a new technology. Others are informed by the mythological ideal of a particular personality or hero. Much of western collective identity is about access to the valued icons of success – in our world, these are usually consumer brands.
We employ all sorts of “stories” in the creation of our these narratives – including myths, urban legends, rumours, superstitions, clichés, traditions, cultural assumptions, ritual, rules, values, stereotypes, categories, assumptions, reputation, nick names, popular sayings, proverbs, icons of success, branding, the symbolic organisation of space, etc..
Personal narratives are slightly different to collective narratives in that they help us distinguish our individual sense of self from everything else. They also help create a sense of coherence and continuity as if our lives have a meaningful storyline.
The 9/11 “Event”
What constitutes an event? We all know about the event that happened on September 11th in New York. But was it a single event? The two buildings of the world trade centre were insured for 3.5 billion dollars each but the policy was worded in such a way that a single catastrophic event that would destroy both buildings simultaneously would be improbable. The insurers argued that the two aircraft hitting the buildings constituted a single event. The policyholders say the two aircraft constituted two separate events. The resultant court case sought to define what the word ‘event’ actually means and at stake is an insurance payout of around $7 Billion as opposed to $3.5 Billion. The court found for the policyholder.
In any case, an event (something that happens) is the difference that makes the difference. In the case of 9/11, the result of the event is something we shall all feel for years to come.