Heroes, Buddha, and How to Read a Myth

Myth Matters

Cultural and personal transformation begins with conscious evaluation of value systems and the stories that express and perpetuate them. In the West, this includes the idea of the hero, and the mythic pattern of the hero's journey delineated by Joseph Campbell.

A close critique of Western heroes and heroism is long overdue in my opinion, and yet the incredible popularity of this image of the individual and the road to fulfillment signals the need for careful, nuanced reflection. In truth, I am often inspired by the courage, feeling, vision, and stamina of heroes, past and present. At the same time, I'm very frustrated by the hegemony of the heroic perspective, which excludes people and experiences and most importantly, colonizes the imagination.

Campbell didn't create the mythologies that he studied and yet, he did conceive the monomyth of the hero's' journey. I recently returned to "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" and I was struck by Campbell's use of Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment. It's a good story, one that can help you think about the nature of heroism and the change our times demand.

Buddhism and other major philosophical and religious systems appeared during a time called "The Axial Age." This isn't the first time that people have felt the need for a new story, although I don't think the longing has been expressed in these terms before. Something profound is underway. You can feel it. But I wonder how much can change, how human civilization can be retooled, if people don't learn how to read a myth, how to live the symbolic life and see through metaphor...

The nature of Siddhartha's story offers me a way to talk about that too.

I hope that you're doing okay and find something helpful in this podcast.

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