Our emotions are profoundly enmeshed with and emergent from the narratives we depend upon to frame ourselves and our relations to ourselves. These narratives are invariably confused, fearful, self-interested (they want to survive at nearly any cost), and virulent (they want to create converts amongst our associates). The left hemisphere, where they are born, is only really aware that half the body exists (the right hemisphere knows the whole body). In short, they are usually the result of an overactive critical aspect of the mind, and this aspect is deeply confused, and tyrannically interested in domination and conflict.

The other hemisphere has little interest in conflict, doesn’t care about domination, and likes to be creatively involved in intimate relation.

So why is our inner mad-thing leading our cognitive and emotional activity?

This gentle argument for narrative sobriety is brought to you by the society of Beware the Rectangles.