A unique seminar, like no other
Have you ever wondered what are the ideas that shape the stories we experience – whether these are in movies, theatre productions, novels, comics or any other story form?
Much of what we regard as popular culture is based on a narrow set of beliefs which have flooded the modern world and untethered storytelling from traditional faith-based virtues.
Instead of God, a belief in mother-nature is promoted. Instead of declaring a standard between good and evil, a criteria between right and wrong, nihilism is promoted where there is no standard, and anything goes. Instead of preserving tradition and culture, people are told to constantly reinvent themselves in a perpetual project of inflating the self.
Ideas have consequences.
If you want to learn how stories are determining the narrative of the modern world and with it the culture and the personal values of the young and old alike, then this half-day seminar is for you.
During the seminar we will cover the following points:
- Why we like to organize our lives around a story we tell ourselves?
- Monomyths and the impact of storytelling in culture
- The three dominant ideas driving storytelling today: nihilism, enlightenment science and romanticism
- How modern-day stories make evil attractive?
- Why superhero stories leave us in an apathetic and dependent state?
- Pop culture religions and the link to entertainment
- What is virtues-based storytelling?
Delivered by an experienced writer and trainer, this course will help you understand the ideas and philosophies behind stories
Find out more about Rehan Khan
An avid observer of history and the many cross-cultural connections it unearths, Rehan Khan, has always been intrigued in how ideas move from one civilisation to the next. He is the author of A Tudor Turk (2019) which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, as well as A King’s Armour (2020) and A Demon’s Touch (2022). These historical fiction novels have been described as swashbuckling adventure stories which also ask readers to consider the role of virtue within the human story. Some interesting facts about Rehan are: * When his daughter was six years old she asked him “Daddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?”- as a manager working in a company, it really got him thinking and it was the spark which ignited his writing career. * His first novel (Last of the Tasburai) took four years to write, his second (Scream of the Tasburai) took two years, the third (Legends of the Tasburai) took 18 months, the fourth (A Tudor Turk) 12 months, the fifth (A King’s Armour) took 9 months, and the sixth (A Demon’s Touch) also took 9 months. * He is particularly interested in the myths, legends and narratives which unite people from different parts of the world, and what role virtues play within the human condition. Rehan also has some ideas about the business world. He has written a self-help book called Distracting Ourselves to Death (2021) which addresses the question why are we so distracted and what can we do about it. He lives in Dubai with his family and also has a role within a global telecoms firm.
Date
Saturday 21st January 2023
Time
10:00am - 13:30pm UK (GMT)
Venue
Online
International