Heroes and heroines as creators of culture
My inclination as this year of 2008 closes is to look for wisdom and learning from history and older civilizations to guide me in my thinking for 2009. The thought swirling in my brain over the past few weeks is that civilizations usually go through times of self-destruction and ruin which unknowingly create fertile ground for re-birth. And most likely, we are going through this kind of time today in our post-post industrial, global age.
These kind of thoughts led me to turn to the writings of Joseph Campbell for guidance. Campbell studied and wrote about myths of the world, looking and finding commonality of themes across continents and ages. He used his knowledge to explain how myths are our ties to the past and help us understand ourselves and the world we live in today.
In my perusal of his writings and my notes, one theme stood out as a possible source of guidance - the stories about heroes’ journeys.
…the journey is not about denying reason…to the contrary, by overcoming the dark passions, the hero symbolizes our ability to control the irrational savage within us…we must find within ourselves the resources of character to meet our destiny… the ultimate aim of a hero’s quest must be neither release nor ecstasy for oneself, but the wisdom and the power to serve others…there is a point of wisdom beyond the conflicts of illusions and truth by which lives can be put back together again.
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, 1988
I believe heroes and heroines will emerge in our organizations, in our society and within ourselves in the next year as we work to re-fashion our world.
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