When A Simple Lesson Changed Everything

Where were you the first time your brain exploded?

I was a college freshman during the winter of 1969-70. In one of those huge psychology lectures the professor showed a slide, a photo of a Marine ROTC student in full dress uniform. The reactions were immediate and visceral.

Babykiller! Murderer! Hero! More guts than any of you!

Sitting near the back, an 18-year-old kid confused by the issues surrounding Vietnam and the war, I wondered whether he was trying to incite a riot. The professor removed the slide, restored order, and asked the question that was the point of the exercise.

“How is it that smart people looking at the same picture can react so differently?”

A few students started shouting in anger. This time the teacher held up his hands for quiet.

“It’s because,” he explained, “you’re telling yourselves different stories.

“You believe the image creates the response, but you’ve just seen that exactly the same picture evokes polar opposite responses from people in this room. It’s not the image at all, but the story each of you holds in your mind about the image, that creates the response.”

The professor continued. “You have a choice. You can guard your story, rehearse it over and over until you memorize it. Or you can open it up to scrutiny. You can ask if the story you’re telling is truthful, if it’s helpful to others, if it’s useful to you. And if you discover new information, you can change your story.”

I remember feeling a bit like my brain had just exploded. I figured I had to be the dumbest person in the room!  How did I not know something so simple?

A few weeks later at Kent State University, some scared kids in National Guard uniforms shot and killed some scared student protesters. As violence erupted in response, universities closed. My final memory of that year is a statement by decorated physics professor Dr, George Bowen: “Violence in the name of peace is insanity.”

I’ve thought a lot about that lesson during the past few days.

I wonder about the story I tell myself when adversity strikes. As we move forward and prepare for FREEDOM TOUR ’17, perhaps you and I might benefit from opening our stories to a bit of scrutiny.

I want to hold the story I tell myself in open hands. I think that means asking some hard questions. I have a few in mind…we’ll leave those for next time. For now:

What’s a stressful situation you might be facing currently? If possible, try to hold an image of the situation in your mind.

What’s the story you tell yourself about the image?