History is always written by victors, and the defeated create a new set of myths to explain the past and gild the future. | |
― Morris L. West | |
From his novel: “The Devil’s Advocate“ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2019 | Lead To Action |
2018 | Listen And See |
2017 | The Big Illusion |
2016 | What Are You Thinking About? |
2015 | What The Framers Chose |
2014 | Lost Anything Lately? |
A Life Of Science | |
2013 | Serve The World |
2012 | Acquaintance, n. |
2011 | On Why His Father Was A Great Teacher |
A Baker’s Dozen | |
Posts Tagged ‘Myths’
Explaining And Gilding
Posted in History, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Future, History, Morris L. West, Myths, Past, Philosophy, Quotes, The Devil's Advocate, Victors on September 17, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Careful About Myth Telling
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Belinda Luscombe, In a New Broadway Play Jake Gyllenhaal Attempts Something Radical: Normalcy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Myths, Philosophy, Quotes, Time Magazine, Truth on January 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »
…“I think it’s been made very clear that we’re in a time where truth is very confusing, and we have people in our leadership making that confusing,” he says. “To me, the more interesting thing is that we also need to be careful about the myths that we tell. And who we believe in.” Gyllenhaal participates in one of this generation’s most successful mythmaking enterprises by playing a character who calls into question everything about the making of myths. | |
— Jake Gyllenhaal | |
As quoted by: Belinda Luscombe | |
In her article: “In a New Broadway Play, Jake Gyllenhaal Attempts Something Radical: Normalcy“ | |
Appearing in Time Magazine, dtd: 19 August 2019 | |
The interview also appears online at: https://time.com/5647321/jake-gyllenhaal-sea-wall-a-life-interview/ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2019 | My Irish Diet |
Fighting With Oneself | |
2018 | Feeling Both |
2017 | Just Start |
2016 | Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall |
2015 | Restraint At The Inn |
2014 | To Not Discovering |
2013 | I Have Less To Say |
2012 | Not The Best Prediction I’ve Ever Read |
The Ultimate Trial
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Consciousness, Heroism, Joseph Campbell, Myths, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Quotes, The Power Of Myth on May 31, 2018| 3 Comments »
If you realize what the real problem is — losing yourself, giving yourself to some higher end, or to another — you realize that this itself is the ultimate trial. When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness. | |
And what all the myths have to deal with is transformation of consciousness of one kind or another. You have been thinking one way, you now have to think a different way. | |
— Joseph Campbell | |
From the book: “The Power of Myth“ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2017 | Vain Expectations |
2016 | Or Of One Thought |
2015 | What’s In Your Future? |
2014 | Light In Darkness |
2013 | How ‘Bout Just Obeying The Law? |
2012 | Or Maybe Not |
2011 | My Interval Is Too Short! |
Storytelling
Posted in 2018 Book Review, Book Review, Faith, History, Reading, Reviews, Science and Learning, tagged 2018 Book Review, Betty Sue Flowers, Bill Moyers, Civilization, Faith, Highly Recommended Book, Human History, Joseph Campbell, Learning, Mythology, Myths, Religion, Rites of Passage, The Power of Myth -- book review on May 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »
“The Power of Myth” 1988© | |
Today’s review is for “The Power of Myth“, which is a book based on interviews of Joseph Campbell by Bill Moyers that were the basis for the PBS television series of the same name and the same year. The book was timed for concurrent release and follows the interview format with editing provided by Betty Sue Flowers. In fact, the book chapters follow the episode breakdown of the series. | |
The interviews deal with the universality and evolution of myths in human history and how myths fit (or don’t fit) in the modern day social structure. Campbell mixes personal experience with stories from many epochs, cultures and civilizations to offer up a thesis that modern society is moving from old mythologies and traditions unique to their times and locations to a new global (and possibly unified) mythology. | |
Campbell believes myths are the stories / legends / fables which make up their culture. Campbell believes there are universal “truths” which mankind tries to describe using these myths and this explains why the myths are common around the globe. To him a “myth” is a way of defining the rituals and oral histories we pass from parents to child. | |
Because the “myths” of any prior generation were limited by location and technologies of communication, Campbell believes we are in a transition period which is trying to integrate all of the “great” traditions (religions, beliefs and myths) of the past with the rapidly changing technologies of a modern life supported by increasing amounts of technology without concurrent social and moral reinforcement. | |
Basically, modern culture specifically lacks a social structure to transition males from childhood to adulthood – the traditional “rites of passage”. Campbell feels this problem is significantly less for females because their rite of passage to adulthood is observationally physical. On this point, I disagree with Campbell as I don’t believe the completion of puberty is the actual rite of passage from childhood to adulthood except in the most biologically literal sense for males or females. | |
I found the book fascinating but difficult to read. I find it curious that myths (creation, death, heaven, hell, reincarnation, resurrection and ascension) are common across epochs and continents. I am less convinced that all individuals seek to be “heroes” and to find their “bliss”. It is my observation that the vast majority of folks (male and female) just want to get on with life and enjoy it (life) and their families with as little hassle as possible. | |
Final recommendation: highly recommended. I feel the book is very deep and full of insight – both in word and ideas. I will be including quotes from it periodically. My own copy is now high-lighted through large passages of the book. (LOL) | |
One final note: this book took me almost two years to read, even though, at barely 230 pages, it’s not very long. This is because it is (was) intellectually challenging (to me) and I felt the need to pause periodically. The result was start, stop, weeks pass, start, stop, etc. In the end, I moved on to other books and then (after 90+ pages), when I finally got back to it, I felt I’d lost the train of discussion and started over from the intro. So, reader be warned… Well worth your time, but you’ll need to be better disciplined than I am. | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2017 | Happy Meeting Day 33 (And Counting) |
2016 | Picture Perfect |
2015 | Life Showed Compassion |
2014 | And Then I Met Her |
2013 | Defining Maleness |
The Run Continues | |
2012 | All Set |
2011 | Not Always |
Laughter > Grief
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Death, Dreams, Faith, Hope, Imagination, Knowledge, Laughter, Love, Myths, Philosophy, Quotes, Robert Fulghum on August 5, 2013| 2 Comments »
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death. | |
-– Robert Fulghum | |
From his book: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten“ | |
. | |
On This Day In: | |
2012 | Pioneers |
2011 | It Is Free |