I've read all of his books. So it was just a matter of time and a Borders gift card that I would get his latest book: "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." The book highlights a time in DM's life when two filmmakers sat down with him to write his story based on the book "Blue like Jazz". One problem, DM's life was pretty boring-or so he thought. And so he began the hard work of editing it.
My life is a story mostly lived on the unconscious level where meaning and purpose are sacrificed for comfort and safety. DM's life was not boring-just the opposite-he was not willing to push himself into a better story.
In the book DM walks into his bedroom and he realized there were no pictures on the mantle-no real tangible evidence of living a real story. His home was more like a stage with props in which he was living a fake story instead of a real human narrative.
"Editing" my life is hard work because it demands that I dig deep-take risks and challenge the status quo. Conscious stories are not formed in the safety of the familiar. Meaning is found in a good story-a conscious story.
What are the elements of a good story and how can I edit my life to create a good story? DM uses his experience to answer these questions.
Elements of a meaningful life: "A story is a character that wants something and overcomes conflict to get it" this is the essence of a good story.
A Character is what he does: It is a person's actions that point to their humanity. We see what a person "is" when they make choices under pressure.
Inciting Incident: DM's reason why he has no clear ambition is because, once he stands up and points to the horizon, he realizes how much he has to lose. For DM it was meeting his father who abandoned him, and his mother when he was a child. It was fear that kept him from pursuing this desire-fear that his dad would reject him-again. DM does meet his dad and brings on the inciting incident which pulls this part of the story to the conscious level. His father asks Don for forgiveness and Don accepts and for the first time he sees his dad in a new light.
The reason God doesn't fix you yet: DM reminds us that the fantastical climaxes in movies and books do not happen in real life. We do reach goals and have success-to be sure, but after that achievement the story doesn't end-the hard work begins. Some Christians also give the false impression-on the unconscious level mostly-that Jesus will take care of your problems. This is not true and definitely not biblical-Jesus gives us hope and invites us into His suffering. Our story includes walking in hope in the midst of pain. There is no utopia.
Manmade or Jesus made-there is no utopia this side of heaven. No act of man is going to make things on earth perfect-an enormous amount of damage is created by the myth of utopia. It creates unreal expectations.
Individuals are not the only ones with stories-our culture has a narrative also: In the book DM attends a writer's conference by legendary screenwriter Robert McKee to find out what makes a good story. McKee defines "an interesting story is one that highlights archetypes as opposed to stereotypes." Archetypes are universal human traits and stereotypes are traits limited exclusively to a group.
I find this true in a "cultural story" or narrative. For example in our culture today there is a strong push to identify with your "group" and in doing so we nurture stereotypes-note our incessant need to hyphenate our "group" with being an American.
We live in a world where bad stories teach us that life has no meaning and that humanity has no great purpose. But we can edit our lives and create better stories.
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