Restoration story follows the same pattern. Widespread disorder afflicts the land. Centralized, powerful and nefarious forces cause and maintain this disorder. The only way out of the current disorder is to defeat these centralized powers. Heroic people with a new plan build new communities, new order and restore harmony to the land.
Narnia, Star Wars, Avatar, Jesus, any Revolution are stories of restoration.
Humans have the traits of greed and selfishness. But also exhibit altruism and cooperation. These positive traits may be our super power. We are physically frail and weak compared to many animals on the planet. So how have we come to dominate the planet and all it’s plants and animals? We inhabit all types of environments on almost all the continents. We did it in groups and tribes sharing resources and cooperation. Groups and tribes that shared stories based on our imaginations. Stories shared by hundreds and thousands of people. This is the classic saga of humans on the planet.
The modern sagas are not conquering nature and survival in nature. The current human epic struggle is how to live with large populations and unequal distribution of wealth.
Individualism and mistrust are at extreme levels. And disorder afflicts the land. We need a new story to replace the existing story.
Based on the NPR TED podcast by author George Monbiot