On the pervasiveness of mental models
The Indian Rope Trick, whereby a “fakir” suspends a rope in mid air and has an accomplice climb it, provides a rich ground to examine the enduring nature of mental models and other stories we force ourselves to believe. The New York Times > Books >This whole piece is worth the read but here’s the money shot:
So…perhaps the true secret of the Indian Rope Trick is the way the supple human memory combines events we’ve really seen with legends we’ve only heard, and shapes them into the best possible story to tell our grandchildren.”
What’s interesting to me is to look at why we have need of such a story? What does a belief in that story give us?
Good questions for all the stories that imbue our lives with meaning and richness, true or not!
