Narrative Ecology – Blog of Ron Donaldson – fACILITATOR & TRAINER

a parallel posting with Substack

[Here begins a series of posts labelled as Field Notes which I am parallel posting on Substack where you can subscribe or simply read each of them here.]

For many years I have been fascinated by a simple question:

Why do some stories change the way we see the world while others leave barely a trace?

My work and interests have taken me into places that, at first glance, seem unrelated: biodiversity, local communities, public decision-making, health, history, landscapes and the patterns that connect them. Yet I have found that each offers a different window onto the same challenge—understanding how people make sense of the world around them.

A narrative ecologist looks for relationships rather than isolated facts. Instead of asking only what happened?, I am often more interested in asking what story allowed this to happen? and what other stories were overlooked?

These field notes are simply observations. Sometimes they will emerge from a walk across a landscape, a conversation with a neighbour, a public meeting, a scientific paper, or an unexpected historical connection. They are not intended to provide definitive answers. Instead, they are invitations to look again.

If an occasional post encourages someone to notice a pattern they had not seen before, or to ask a better question, then it has achieved its purpose.

Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll enjoy exploring these stories with me.