From Sapiens

I'm currently between two books. This one fell into my lap. A regular at work kindly lent me his copy when I asked him if he was enjoying it. The Observer calls it "A rare book... Thrilling and breathtaking." I'm only 30 pages or so in, but I completely agree.

I am reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

The book itself is a brilliant take on who we are as human beings, as homo sapiens. Why are we the way we are? How did we get to where we are? Who we are? This following quote is the explanation of language and fiction in shaping us. It especially speaks to me both as a writer and as a storyteller.

"Telling effective stories is not easy. The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it. Much of history revolves around this question: how does one convince millions of people to believe particular stories about gods, or nations, or limited liability companies? Yet when it succeeds, it gives Sapiens immense power, because it enables millions of strangers to cooperate and work towards common goals. Just try to imagine how difficult it would have been to create states, or churches, or legal systems if we could speak only about things that really exist, such as rivers, trees and lions" (p. 35).

Bill Bernbach

A quote from an advertising legend - "Human nature hasn't changed for a billion years. It won't even vary in the next billion years. Only the superficial things have changed. It is fashionable to talk about changing man. A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man - what compulsions drive him, what instincts dominate his every action, even though his language too often camouflages what really motivates him. For if you know these things about a man, you can touch him at the core of his being. One thing is unchangingly sure. The creative man with an insight into human nature, with the artistry to touch and move people, will succeed. Without them he will fail."