The BOLD (The Danger of a Single Story)
In February, 2017, TEDxRVA held a salon entitled The Danger of a Single Narrative. Our intention was to mark Black History Month by highlighting the need for multiple perspectives in order to fully understand our history. At the salons, we would show TED videos from other parts of the world and then engage the audience in facilitated conversations about the topic presented. These small groups of strangers would listen and speak and learn from each other, right here in Richmond. I loved every salon that we produced but this one was particularly powerful.
That night, we showed Chimamanda Adichie’s talk, the one on which we based the name of our event.
She reminded us that when we only listen to one perspective, we flatten our understanding and diminish our ability for connection. This talk is critically important at this moment as we decide how we want to proceed as a nation and as fellow citizens together. It is also important because her observation has critical implications for all the decisions we must make in our lives—civic, professional and personal. We are not informed until we have looked at all the views that are to be had. An uninformed decision is very likely going to be a dangerous one.
When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Whisper (Snake, Butterfly, Wall, Tree, Broom)
There is a story that, like many perspective shifting tales, has made the rounds of speeches, books and articles for years. It is an old story (aren’t all stories, at their heart, old?) but it is relevant. Have you heard the story of the blind men and the elephant?
We begin with a room and an elephant. It is a particularly interesting start that bristles with tension. Why is the elephant there? How will the elephant respond to his confinement? Really, this information is never offered, and I think it just adds to the dramatic tension. We’ll keep it there, then, and not add any conjectures about the back story of this extraordinary occurrence.
To this already overcrowded room, the storyteller admits 5 visually impaired gentlemen. Again, the mind reels at the implications. Will the elephant become skittish at the sudden appearance of so many people? Will the combination result in injuries? Still we suffer a dearth of details so we will follow along with what is provided.
For some unknown reason, the men are asked to assess the creature in the room and provide a threat assessment, so they move forward and begin to gather tactile evidence.
The first man encounters the elephant’s trunk and delivers his conclusion that the animal is snake-like. It seems to be active and agile. He suggests that they will need to be quick and careful to avoid it’s curling grasp.
The second man reaches out and his hand is brushed by the animal’s great ear. He makes a few attempts to grasp it and declares that the creature is like a large, leathery butterfly. He agrees that the animal is quick and energetic but assures them that, other than a light breeze, there appears to be no negative consequences from the encounter.
The third man collides with the elephant’s side and sputters, “I have no idea what you could be thinking. Clearly this animal like a brick wall, solid and still. Leathery, yes, but not fluttery in the least.” He suggests that they might need to employ a battering ram to dislodge the threat.
Not to be outdone, the fourth man stumbled and, reaching out for support, latched onto one of the elephant’s legs. Now, I’m going to assume that, somehow, he ended up on the other side of the pachyderm or he would have stumbled into the this-is-a-wall guy before he found the leg. His conclusion? This animal is like a tree with a mighty trunk. There would be no need to run from a creature so securely rooted.
Finally, the fifth man, who had apparently followed the wall around to the back, was batted in the face by the elephant’s tail. “This animal is nothing more than a broom,” He snorted, “Unless he brushes us to death, we are quite safe.”
It is tempting to draw the following conclusions from the story:
There’s always more to the story but they won’t tell you what it is if they want you to maintain your focus elsewhere. This does not always work as the unanswered questions can be distracting.
- There are rooms in the world that have doors sufficient to admit an elephant and that contain the space needed to host an elephant exploration event.
- It’s a good thing that this elephant was patient, long-suffering and, apparently, not ticklish. You wouldn’t want to try this with an excitable or easily offended three to six-ton living being.
It is probably wiser to stick with the intended conclusions, however, which are as follows:
- More than one analysis can be true at the same time without making other analysis false.
- It is best to seek as many perspectives as possible to gather the necessary data before planning a response.
- It is unwise to assume that your first impression is sufficiently complete to draw a conclusion.
I told the story in a light way but the point is critically important. We must find ways to grow our perspective, even if the process is difficult or even unpleasant, in order to ensure good decisions and necessary outcomes.
How are you going to ensure that you are aware of every aspect, threat, and advantage of the elephants in your life?
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