Excerpt from the always eloquent marketing savant Seth Godin
Myths allow us to project ourselves into their stories, to imagine interactions that never took place, to take what's important to us and live it out through the myth.
The quote comes in the context of a “myth” or vicarious brand based marketing strategy.
But I think this valuable quote applies to many aspects of social activities.
In my field, they are represented by the rigid mechanical chartists and micro fundamentalists in the financial markets, hydraulic econometric-statistics-quant based economics or in the political sphere—ideologies based on utopianism.
These people tend to live out or rationalize their morals or beliefs or their fantasies as reality.
The tragic bombing and shooting massacre which left 68 people dead in Norway by deranged Anders Breivik seems an example.
Quoting Stratfor’s Scott Stewart, (bold emphasis mine)
Breivik also is somewhat unique in that he did not attempt to escape after his attacks or become a martyr by his own hand or that of the authorities. Instead, as outlined in his manifesto, he sought to be tried so that he could turn his trial into a grandstand for promoting his ideology beyond what he did with his manifesto and video. He was willing to risk a long prison sentence in order to communicate his principles to the public. This means that the authorities have to be concerned not only about other existing Justiciar Knights but also anyone who may be influenced by Breivik’s message and follow his example.
Living out of a myth can be fatalistic.
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