Derived from: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
When looking at the human species, more specifically the Homo sapiens, the attribute that differentiates ourselves from other animals and other genus is our ability to cooperate. But what allows us, humans, to cooperate so effectively in contrast to other species? It's our ability to invent myths. If you think about it, the way our modern world is run is based on myths that we share collectively and agree on. A myth is nothing different than a story or belief that we collectively agree on. A myth allows us to trust a stranger which enables cooperation on a larger scale. Everything we do today, whether it is studying for our bachelor’s degree, working a job, or buying products is based on a shared belief. Telling a story is easy, convincing everyone of it is hard. And this is the key to understand society.