Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world. – Joseph Campbell
Every once in a while, I revisit Joseph Campbell’s “The Power of Myth” to enjoy his musings on the big transitions in life. The basic motif of the Hero’s Journey is to die and become resurrected, leaving one condition and finding the source of life to bring you forth into a richer or mature condition. It’s a spiritual experience more than a physical one, in which the hero learns to experience a broader range of human life and comes back with a message. The experience, as Campbell puts it, is a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover something lost or to discover something life-affirming.
Having influenced modern culture to a degree that cannot be overstated (serving as inspiration for many playwrights, authors, and other storytelling luminaries, such as George Lucas), Campbell’s legacy is more relevant today than ever. The “problem” that many avoid is giving one’s self to a higher cause, or to another person. When we quit thinking of ourselves first and foremost, Campbell thinks we undergo a heroic transformation of consciousness.
Campbell’s writings smack of F3 philosophy. The anything-but-benign passivity of our modern society, one that watches and mocks and is quick to outrage and slow to understand nuance, irked him as it does us. The curse is that people feel impotent, an ennui and alienation from the world around them, and we need heroes to give us a sense of greater purpose. People start to live inauthentic lives that evoke nothing of spirituality or courage, until we end up in shouting matches, fist fights, and wars.
I like F3 because you realize life is about much more than your own self-preservation. We all just need to find our own Ariande thread – a ball of yarn that leads us out of the labyrinth to something bigger than ourselves – not wealth, not power, or the next great idea. It is our rite of passage to get to the point where we know who we are and what we need to do – a baby bird knows one day that it can fly – and somehow, F3 helps us get there.
If you’ve made it this far, good on you! Here was our Hero’s Journey today, and although it felt strictly physical at the time, but we all know nothing is JUST physical!
Mosey to the Beuhler trail. Seesaw from the gate to the drinking fountain:
Round 1: 10 diamond merkins, run to gate, 10 jump squats. 15 and 20 on next two trips.
Round 2: 10 burpees, backwards run to gate, 10 burpees, bunny hop back. Two trips.
Round 3: Bear crawl to bottom of hill, crawl-bear to top.
Mary back in the parking lot: 50 flutters, 25 LBCs, and plank holds for 1 minute.
CoT: Prayers to those fighting disease, heart issues, and to those who may have formed bad habits. Let’s remember that our small decisions each day add up to something much more eventually. The cumulative effect of our seemingly tiny decisions each day will determine how long we have to live on this planet much more than the seemingly large ones.
Moleskine: Great to chat with Weenie Roast and others and get back in the Q rotation! Tugboat pushed super-hard today and it was noticeable. Great work! Solid effort all-around by all PAX on a humid morning with not a lot of rest doled out.