Ron.Roncooper wrote:I'm catching up.
James wrote;
I am not sure what you mean by won't emerge by expectation. I think it was during the Power of Myth interviews that Campbell said myths do not come from the people, they come from a select few.Yes Andreas; I think that indeed is part of the issue. The global societies are now in a state of dysfunction and the old cultural myths no longer serve the needs they once addressed. The world needs something new to survive but unfortunately the processes for this to take place will not emerge by expectation but must evolve over time and no one knows what they will look like or when they will occur.
Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata. We know who wrote the books of the Bible. There was a council of Nicaea.
I don't see anything wrong with being proactive. What have we got to lose? It can't get much worse.
I believe that people making up their own mythologies out of ignorance is a bad thing. Biker gangs create codes of conduct. Street gangs have codes of conduct. Codes which are primitive in my opinion.
I believe that the myth of the world person would be a welcomed alternative to the cultural myths many people are trapped in.
I don't have any expectations, but it seems to me that without attention Campbell's spore will never become moss.
I should probably clarify the " expectation " reference since the way I applied it might be confusing and was a little out of the original context Joseph used it in. In " The Hero's Journey " there is a point where he is quoting from the " Gospel of Thomas " where he is illustrating the difference between that version and the other 4 gospels. It's an important insight concerning perspective in the way one understands this Gnostic approach as compared to the others. When one of the disciples asked about the coming of the " End of the World " he says: " Master when will the Kingdom come? " And Jesus replies: " The Kingdom will not come by ( expectation ). They will not say; see here, see there. The Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth and men do not see it. " In this Christian interpretation of the Gospel Joe is referring to a spiritual psychological position of reflective " inward " emphasis as opposed to the " outer " projection of religion normally associated with the other 4 gospels such as the fire and brimstone of the Last Judgment. And this is also has to do with what he refers to about the state of the world. When he says: " it's perfect just the way it is " this is where he's coming from if I remember correctly. It's a Buddhist insight if I understand it properly; but the point is about changing perspective I believe.
I don't think he means people shouldn't try to make things better; but you are not going to change things by shifting them around. One needs to open up to the miracle and wonder that life is; but you are not going to change the monstrous nature of it. Certainly you can help to relieve much of it's suffering; but balance, perspective, not judging, and trying to straighten out one's own life seems to me to be at least part of the message he is trying to convey I think.
I'll try to get back to this soon but I need to call it a day for now.
Cheers