The danger of a single story

Seeking to understand the multidimensional experience of others in our communities helps us to avoid falling into stereotypes that feed us with only part of the information we need to make moral and ethical decisions (Practice M2). Our understanding of the truth about our world is and always will be inescapably partial and personal, and we continually stand in need of other perspectives to complete it. In this powerful TED Talk (19 minutes), Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes her own experiences in learning to see beyond a single story. She describes the need to engage actively, patiently, and with humility in the work of perspective taking, to seek out the multitude of stories that comprise an individual or community. Taking in others’ truths in this way can radically reshape our understanding of the world and of our own place within it.