Equilibrium...when is it coming?
+This week I write to you about setting themes, establishing order and trying to rework the script of life.
We all sometimes wish our life was like a movie. Or a book. We all would love to have every scene of our life neatly laid out, never to diverge from a clear-cut structure. It’s no wonder then why movies are constantly in production and distribution in nearly every part of the world. It’s no wonder why it’s apart of many renowned speeches and sermons and TEDx talks. Because they have mastered things we as humans cannot quite bring ourselves to succeed:
The simplicity of life (never to be confused with life being simple)
The sequence of order and establishment of time.
However, similar to the human being, in this piece you will see that when we de-flesh our favourite films we will notice their skeleton is actually a very simple frame and bears no stamp of originality. I absolutely love films and movies and in my process of writing this piece, whilst scrolling through Notes; a question by one of my favourite stackers was proposed. And my answer to this question was films and movies, no brainer. I’d be more than happy to run a publication conversing with the world about all my favourite blockbusters. But then I realised, in light of the narrative theory which I write to you about, that I kind of already do. I talk about life; mine, yours and theirs. Life is oftentimes the greatest material and I hope, reader, that you’ll understand this by the end of this piece.
Many films/novels/stories/tv-shows etc habitually obtain the same 4 point narrative structure; highlighted in the Narrative Theory (of Equilibrium) established by Bulgarian-French structuralist and philosopher Tzvetan Todorov. Many like to say nothing is new under the sun and personally I agree as the theory exposes many of our beloved films for its masked utilitarianism. The only things which add flesh to the bone and cause them to stand out is how they are cognitively processed differently by differing directors and therefore felt differently by divergent audiences.
The theory proposes that any adequate story must construct itself on the basis of equilibrium and ultimately what builds narrative and thickens plot is dependent on its continual stance, whether for or against the equilibrium. The funny word, equilibrium, is what Todorov describes as a tranquil and balanced state, which later transforms into a period of grave imbalance that brings a disequilibrium (e.g. the conflict in a novel), the protagonist then recognises this disruption, seeks out to resolve it and after resolving the issue the story is conclusively restored and then brought to what he labels a new equilibrium, a just and now appeasing state. Easier written than done? Most definitely! But I try to build LFTT on the fact that I am probably within the small percentage of people on earth who believe this CAN be done. This is what hope is.
I think that life can unfold just as easily depending on what we regard as our equilibrium, the particular mediums through which we recognise the disequilibrium and what we ultimately regard as our resolutions. Many people don’t even perceive the possibility of a new equilibrium in their lives, so why won’t they disregard the other steps preceding? For many life only consists of equilibrium and disequilibrium, no in-between. This is how I would say many perceive God to be. Good or bad. Naughty or nice. No in-between. On the other hand this is why Christianity is truly set apart because God the Spirit our helper enables us to recognise the conflict, in mirroring God the Son who has already overcome the world, we then resolve it and He brings us, in acceptance of His offering, to the Father who holds the new equilibrium! Almost there??
In childhood, we are immersed in equilibrium. It’s quite literally all we know. The pages of our story turn without us realising and all feels as though all is “well with the world”. Life appears just and true and bright and loving. But then as our brains grow, so does knowledge of the world and we begin to make choices that draw us away. We suddenly feel the need to take the pen ourselves rather than letting life be life and God be God, and consequently things begin to shake. Imbalance begins to seep through and you can feel that something is off. The world in return appears very mean, aggressive and at most times completely dark. The trauma and trials which we experience in this life is the imbalance. But how do you recognise what is wrong, when the majority of the people around you normalise such behaviours and situations; e.g. toxic relationships, excessive drinking/partying/smoking, infidelity, promiscuity, greed, warped body imaging. There can never be room for the resolution Todorov describes when a large majority of us are not aware of the battles we are going through or what brought them about. Films do. They establish these things because they have the end already marked out, they have the important scenes already contemplated and therefore they live it out and in doing so offer the most beautiful 90minute packaging of life through thrilling moving image. Characters know what they are going to endure, they see the problems and they keep going anyway because they know their new equilibrium is only be a few pages away! This is the establishment of time and order we as humans don’t want to come to terms with. Conflict arise, but so will restoration. There truly is a time for everything, if you would just believe.
In a book called ‘Structuralist Poetics’, the author Jonathan Culler informs us how ‘there are three domains or sub-systems where cultural models are particularly important: plot, theme and character’. Once again the simplicity of life in written terms. Life is the overall plot, but to what theme are you adhering to? And what is building (or destroying) your character? Remember how earlier I discussed theme/genre is what drives the plot. It is what the story is built on and all things fall into place concerning the successful deliverance of plot/genre. It also got me thinking about death, because life and death are never far from one another. But more specifically in the rituals of death in our culture. I reflected on how the last words on your tombstone are like the blurb you would read on the back of a book. For those that may not know, blurbs are short descriptive paragraphs outlining the contents and themes of a book on its outside cover. What we have to remember is that your life has already been written. I struggle often with this concept when living in an age that tells me to simply manifest and all things will be mine; I should chase after all things my heart wants and YOLO’s every situation big or small. God knows that we only live once and He doesn’t want us to waste it. Think about how when you were younger, you hadn’t a clue of the days you are walking in now and yet see how they unfold before you! Its because just like the film director, someone has known them and already planned them out. People often wait too long to figure out or establish their plot and that’s why I think we include these last words on the tomb. Not to keep the dead with us, but to remind us of the stories we are all still living in, in spite of theirs coming to an end. They are propaganda to each of us that the narrative theory is truly alive and active.
You can do something as simple as take a page, make separate headings: 1. Equilibrium, 2. Disequilibrium, 3. Recognition, 4. Resolution and 5. New Equilibrium and under each write, truthfully, different stages in your life which represent each one. What I will tell you is that when writing 4, only God can successfully help you to reach 5, because in all actuality The Holy Bible is the theory of Equilibrium. From Genesis to Revelation (which I will elaborate in a future post!). I am aware that mapping out your entire life will not be a practical exercise for every single person, some people find it too difficult to look back or even look ahead. But something that is practical for everybody is to establish a theme. Like we’ve acknowledged earlier, theme helps the plot and events unravel, oftentimes without you even doing much. Because it always there, looming above you like a banner over your head, reminding you of who you are, what you need to do and where you need to go. When your theme is depression, people and events in your life will have no choice but to animate themselves according to that lethargic movement and attitude. I’ve concluded that my theme is love and serving. But not romantic love, because that is only self-serving (we all know how rom-coms only address surface level issues). Instead, a Godly love that is wholly sufficient for my every move. Feel free to share yours with me in the comments.
If you are stuck in a disequilibrium right now, know that is means a new equilibrium is on its way. You just have to recognise and resolve. Recognise and Resolve.
All my love, Sarah J.
Very thoughtful. May I suggest another model to consider on this subject of story structure? See Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey and the deep work on mythology by Joseph Campbell upon which it is based. Traditional storytelling that works effectively is based in ancient Pagan traditions that have endured throughout human history. Most of our pop culture products can be traced back to ancient Pagan practices.
The Torah-based and Jewish storytelling approaches differ from this structure as Dara Horn writes about in one of the essays in her book “People Love Dead Jews,” a very powerful book I am reading now.