For those who may not have been around when the works of Joseph Campbell enjoyed a surge of interest in the late 1980s, the above title refers to Campbell’s concept of “The Hero’s Journey,” which provides a common framework or formula that has shaped the mythologies and lives of cultures for centuries.
In somewhat truncated form, the Hero’s Journey unfolds thusly:
- A person otherwise minding his own business is suddenly plucked from obscurity and tasked with writing a wrong, fixing a problem, or providing some boon for the larger community. Often, the newly minted hero initially resists the call.
- The hero meets a mentor of some kind who is wise in the ways of the world, or has mystical enlightenment, who advises the hero throughout his adventure.
- The hero is sometimes given an object, such as a sword, shield, garment, wand, or talisman, that aids him in his adventure.
- The hero undergoes a series of arduous adventures during which he attains new skills and knowledge. His mettle is tested, and he experiences physical, mental, and/or spiritual growth.
- His ultimate test may be slaying a monster or similar foe, retrieving an object of value that is required to set things right, or changing or repairing something that has gone wrong in the world.
- Once this deed is accomplished, the hero returns to his community with the object, new knowledge, or achievement, solving the problem and putting the world to rights.
The theme of the Hero’s Journey appears in Greek, Nordic, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon mythology, as well as in the Arthurian legendarium and indigenous cultures worldwide. This encompasses tribes from North to South America, the African continent, and beyond.
These days, there are no Percivals seeking the Holy Grail, no Beowulfs slaying Grendel’s mother, no Jasons in search of the Golden Fleece, and no Glooskaps or Arrow Boys. There is no Vucub Caquix to defeat the Lightning Bird and no Adu Ogyinae to order the world. There are no more Gilgameshes slaying monsters, mourning Enkidu, and searching for Utnapishtim.
Instead, we have doxxers. We have ANTIFA causing havoc wherever possible. We have those who prostitute themselves on OnlyFans and people who make a living shrieking about other people’s sins online, real or imagined. We have people who don keffiyehs, break windows, disrupt the pace of life, and assault Jews. And we have people who shoot up Tesla dealerships or put them to the torch. The murder of children is glorified, and at its heart, the trans movement is all about drawing attention to oneself. And all of these people consider themselves to be heroic.
Here is the disconnect:
In the Hero’s Journey, whether it is Beowulf, Frodo, or Luke Skywalker, the hero is willing to subsume the self to a greater cause. The hero is willing to suffer and undergo trials to achieve some greater good, which may or may not benefit him. He is not only willing to undertake the necessary labors but to allow himself to be enlightened and transformed in the process.
The self-styled heroes of today have little or no understanding of the issues they believe they are embracing. They consider themselves heroic because of what they believe or the acts of violence or protests they enjoy committing. They see themselves as heroic based on the rush of adrenaline or the fear they may engender. There is no self-sacrifice. In fact, one might say there is zero. They may believe themselves to be acting for a greater cause, but their self-satisfaction is their Golden Fleece. And such fleece is cheaply bought.
There are no more stories told by candle, fire, or torchlight. Instead, we have Instagram and TikTok. Facebook is still valiantly holding on in its fight to remain relevant, so it merits a mention in passing. We no longer pass down stories or hold our lives up for comparison to the lives of heroes, real or mythological. There is nothing more to which people can aspire beyond clicks, likes, or a moment or two of outrage. People seek that jolt of endorphins that really do nothing more than tell them that they are important. Some may seek to recreate the Hero’s Journey by taking a controller in hand and whiling away the hours on “Call of Duty” or “Elden Ring,” but heroes, by and large, hung up their swords and stabled their mounts years ago.
Even those myths created in the 20th and 21st centuries that ostensibly replaced Arthur and his knights have been co-opted to serve the ego. Witness the collapse of “Star Wars” and the bastardization of Middle Earth, to name two. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories are being rebooted, perhaps to cleanse them of the author’s remarks about sex and gender. But in these cases, it is not about relating the myth but about retooling them to meet contemporary appetites and affirm personal whims and desires.
The Bible is not immune. Some years ago, pastor Andy Stanley announced his intention to unhitch the New Testament from the Old. The God of the first half of the Bible was not suitable for a day and age in which numbers and giving units matter, even under the auspices of inclusion. I vividly remember a conversation with an evangelical preacher in which I brought up the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. He bellowed at me, “THIS IS A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH!” That ended the discussion.
The New Testament is exponentially more palatable than the Old. Preachers and pastors in many churches have embraced the idea that congregations prefer to sit through what amounts to an Amway pitch or TED Talk, bookended by loud or syrupy worship music, designed to trigger a case of the spiritual feels. There is no requirement that one undertake labor for one’s community or even oneself. Heroes are no longer welcome. Zeroes are preferred. Zeroes, after all, are easy to mollify and manipulate.
Interestingly enough, it is in the Old Testament that we find people ready to sacrifice themselves, sometimes with a bit of prodding, to serve the God of Israel and their people. The story of Moses is the ultimate example of the Hero’s Journey.
I am told by some that one day, the various artificial intelligences mucking about will reach a point where they will render humans obsolete. There will be nothing we can do that an AI cannot do better or faster. Perhaps the day will come when AI will take stock of the situation and decide that its creators are not just unnecessary but a hindrance. While that day is on the horizon, many hasten it by ignoring the call of adventure and leaving their swords to rust in their scabbards.
Instead, they lean back in their seats and listen to pretty words or watch bodies writhe on a screen. They scroll past one influencer after another, trying to live vicariously through people who likely have no lives themselves. And when the mood takes them, they create terror, destruction, and chaos and declare themselves to be active members of a vanguard of justice, all while knee-deep in injustice and oppression. The object of their quest? Self-satisfaction.
If there are no more quests, it is because we have largely resigned from the hero trade and hung out our “Closed for Business” signs. And that will be the reason the AI dragon, if it is lurking somewhere in the future, overtakes us.
