tuning perception

if a story can said to have an objective, it is to tune our perception to specific experiences. My theory is that stories have universal themes, but they change to adapt us to our circumstances. The content doesn’t have to be true or historically accurate, but the story has to elicit advantageous behaviors for the individual, family, tribe, ruling caste… whatever. If a story doesn’t elicit advantageous behaviors for the ascendent, it will be disregarded, reviled or suppressed. Ascendant refers to what’s up and coming. For instance if I am single and get a girlfriend, then the new relationship is ascendant and only stories that support the relationship can be embraced. Sometimes the stories of the single person and the partnership jive, other times they do not. In the case of weaponized stories like consumption and terrorism, the individual, family, tribe etc is so cut off from their own stories that they forget they ever had them.