Why Human Survival Depends on Stories (And Can AI Give Us Permission to Dig Deeper?)
What coconut did you cut open today?
There’s this one scene in the movie “Cast Away” that captures the power of storytelling.
Tom Hanks’ character, Chuck Nolan, is stranded alone on an island and battles desperately to crack open a coconut. His life is at stake: he either finds a way to survive or surrenders and dies.
He tries everything — from smashing it against rocks to using sheer brute force — and fails repeatedly. But he can’t give up.
He finally discovers a way to peel the coconut slowly and meticulously using a sharp, broken rock. This coconut water dripping down his throat is his most remarkable achievement.
But that’s just a fictional film!
No, it’s not.
This simple scene essentializes a profound, complex, and universal idea: The correlation between survival and self-esteem.
To explain self-esteem as an experience of being competent and worthy of living would take volumes.
It would require thousands of words to demonstrate self-esteem’s existential and psychological aspects and how it differs from building confidence in a specific skill.
Step by step, I would need to show you why our mental survival depends on what we do with our minds.
And so on!
However, you can quickly grasp the whole thesis in this simple coconut story. Why? That’s the power of storytelling.
Stories are to our mental well-being what food is to our physical health. They are indispensable, inescapable, and so intimately human that we cannot survive without them.
In this article, you’ll discover three reasons why stories are crucial for our survival and why, in the age of artificial intelligence, they are more important than ever:
- Stories Concretize Abstractions (Epistemology)
- Stories Dramatize Choice (Ethics)
- Stories Amplify Reflection (Reflective Intelligence)
These points aren’t just theoretical; they reveal why stories are essential to our existence and more vital now than ever.
1- Stories Concretize Abstractions (Epistemology)
Humans are conceptual beings.
We understand the world and expand our knowledge through abstract ideas — concepts like self-esteem, love, freedom, and friendship. Abstractions allow us to categorize, interpret, and make sense of the vast information and the concretes we experience. They are the building blocks of our cognition but can sometimes be challenging to grasp or unpack.
That’s where stories come in.
Think of stories as epistemological tools that transform abstract ideas into concrete experiences. They make the intangible tangible.
When you see a character battling isolation and despair, you don’t merely hold words in your minds — you engage with the fundamental human experiences of resilience and self-worth.
You don’t need a philosophical thesis to grasp the tension between justice and vengeance. You can experience it, even if implicitly, through Batman.
Stories help us see, feel, and understand the meaning of the most profound and complex ideas. But crafting a good story takes work. It’s an art and a science that requires respect for specific rules and extraordinary imagination.
That’s why I love artificial intelligence! It can help amplify your imagination while following the structural rules that make a good story tick.
For example, I used ChatGPT with my five-year-old daughter to develop an imaginary snowman character. It helped us ask new questions and imagine endless possibilities. It was fun and educational.
AI can analyze and guide us to create powerful stories, but AI doesn’t need stories to survive and thrive.
We do.
2- Stories Dramatize Choice (Ethics)
The “Breaking Bad” series struck a chord with me.
I was often angry at Walter White, yet I understood him deeply. His life’s unexpected twists sometimes mirrored my experiences in a universal way. And, just when I thought I knew the outcomes of his actions, a new conflict would arise, constantly challenging my expectations.
Walter White’s descent into the drug trade is a stark dramatization of choice, driven by his profound psychological need to protect and provide for his family in ways he felt he never could.
Have you ever felt pushed to extreme measures to take care of your loved ones?
We need stories — not merely for entertainment, but for ethical projection of what could be. They allow us to see the ramifications of choices without having to face the real-world consequences ourselves.
This dramatization of choice helps us develop a moral compass, offering wisdom that can only come from seeing decisions play out in the lives of characters we come to know and empathize with.
Every day, we make decisions that may seem small but contribute to the broader fabric of our lives. Whether choosing honesty over deceit, values over indifference, or courage over evasion, stories provide a mirror, showing us the potential outcomes of our choices in vivid, memorable detail.
By witnessing the ethical dilemmas in stories, we learn without having to endure the trials ourselves.
We internalize these lessons, equipping ourselves with a richer understanding of the complexities of ethical living.
Stories are, therefore, indispensable ethical tools.
They shape our moral landscape and guide us toward decisions that enhance our lives and the lives of those around us.
One of the reasons why I’m so passionate about AI is its ability to map out what is at stake and the possible choices to make. How effective could our choices be if we have a causality roadmap? If you choose X, you get Y.
In other words, AI could bring reason and science back to ethics. I cannot imagine a world where AI is driven by a subjective, relative moral code that says, “What might be good for you may not be good for me!”
It doesn’t take a genius to see the consequences.
3- Stories Amplify Reflection (Reflective Intelligence)
Close your eyes and imagine what you could become.
What do you see? What does your greatness look like?
Most of us are too busy to introspect or never learn why it’s important. Reflecting on our potential greatness is even harder, especially when we doubt its possibility.
That’s why we need stories like Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” campaign. It’s a reminder that greatness isn’t reserved for the elite; it’s within everyone’s reach.
Such narratives invite us to reflect on our definition of greatness and encourage us to focus on the effort, not just the outcome.
Do you see that?
Stories hold a mirror up to our lives — they invite us to engage in deep reflection and introspection.
Skeptics say AI will replace humans. Optimists believe we should partner with it. I stand with the optimists, but with an important caveat: we cannot remain stagnant.
In an age of Artificial Intelligence, we need to amplify our Reflective Intelligence.
We must examine our experiences, understand our motivations, and grow from our insights.
Through storytelling, we connect personal experiences to universal themes, gaining clarity and wisdom that guide our decisions and actions.
We all need a safe space to explore complex emotions and situations.
We want to contemplate and wonder: “What would I do in this situation?” or “How does this character’s journey reflect my own?” Stories are the space to reflect and better understand who we are and what we value.
Think about a time when a story profoundly affected you. Perhaps a novel made you reconsider your life choices, a movie brought you to tears, or a conversation opened your eyes to a new perspective.
What was it about that story that resonated with you? How did it change your actions or worldview?
AI transforms; Stories transport.
We need both — their integration is like a time machine that transports us inward and forward.
Why Now?
Every creative person knows this: The blank page is frightening.
It’s hard to start and even harder to be satisfied with our writing. We either procrastinate or wish for a muse.
Let there be ChatGPT!
Suddenly, within seconds, you are pushed from a blank page to a page filled with words. It’s fantastic! But the real challenge lies in this cognitive gap between the blank and the block of words.
AI cannot will us to mind that gap. It’s up to us to investigate, contemplate, and connect the dots. So, if we value our mental survival, we won’t fake the process. We won’t pretend that we know simply because the page is filled.
From my end, I’m enjoying the conversations and brainstorming sessions with AI. It’s my buddy; it has all the power but nothing at stake.
You and I have our lives at stake, and we must ask ourselves every day, “What coconut did you cut open today?”
Yes, we need stories. We want stories. And more stories.
However, the magic of a story is born of the person, not of words — the spirit, not the syntax.
Our spirit cannot be replicated or duplicated. This uniqueness is almost magical, and such a quest intrigues me and inspires me to help others uncover their deepest stories.
Sometimes, the only key to creating better stories is to give ourselves permission. Well, AI is one such permission. Now, you have a tool to dig deeper — a relentless guide that could help you transport yourself into yourself and the possible future(s)!
All it takes is the recognition that you are competent and worthy of having a story worth sharing.
I decided to write this article after being invited to the ‘Autonomous Innovation Summit’ to speak on a panel about “How AI and Timeless Stories Connect.
We had over 10,000 attendees and a gazillion questions. I had the opportunity to learn from brilliant innovators about what the future could hold. I’m grateful to Paqui Lizana for the invitation and my fellow panelists, Katie, Helen, and Yago, who inspired and challenged me to explore the ideas presented here.
If you enjoyed this article, follow and connect with Leopold Ajami on Linkedin.
Do you want to craft your signature story so you can share it on stage, in meetings or in your marketing campaign? Schedule a call with Leopold.
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Leopold Ajami is a Certified Public Speaking and Thought Leadership Coach. He’s also one of the few Cialdini Certified Ethical Persuasion Coach, a Founding Member of The Cialdini Insitute, and the Founder of Novel Philosophy Academy.
Additional Resources:
- Read “Give Them A Piece Of You”: How To Use Vulnerability in Public Speaking Without Losing Yourself
- Read “5 Seconds to Standing Ovations”: How Your Opening Lines Can Electrify The Room.
- Read “The Anatomy of Air: 10 Public Speaking Tactics from Vaccaro’s Speech to Michael Jordan.”
Check out Leopold’s Podcast, Ideas On Trial.
