Heroes and Mystics 2022

Abhirami Sankaran In the beginning of this semester one topic we discussed was the symbolism of divinity. These symbols can be seen from the Herms of ancient Greece to the Lingas in Hinduism. Many divine symbols take the semblance of genitalia, whose connection to life is rather obvious. Jung was one scholar who was particularly fond of these symbols. In his work he often referenced how different dreams could be interpreted, he would suggest for example that a cave one struggled to emerge from was a womb and the struggle indicative of an attempt to gain independence. In his writings these symbols of feminine divinity are something to be overcome and separated from, their presence itself contaminating to male power. This theme of separation from femininity appears in multiple forms throughout psychoanalysis and other subjects which focus on the interpretation of symbols. One specific segregation of femininity that I often see is the distillation of female divinity to the production of...

  I write this final entry at the end of my finals week. Looking back at my time in this class, I recognize that this, itself, has been a journey, and wanted to point out some of the structural points. I refused a call early on, only to bash my head against that call until I finally understood it. My first post remarks on a distaste for Campbell’s examples and work, and that was a huge roadblock for me early on. It required me to leave presuppositions at the door, embrace the sometimes brutal forms of myth, and look for the deeply entwined, shared symbols still hiding all over the place. The middle part of the journey began my focus on interplay. Emotions contributing to thought and reflecting contributing to productivity, taking contributing to giving. This would be my focus for the remainder of the semester. It kicked off with the shadow self and extended through the interior castle, eventually culminating in the interplay-centric innocuous boons. I’m left at the end with a diz...

  While I was writing my term paper, I came across the discussion of memory, but in relation to Christian repentance. I quickly became fascinated. Evidently, to audit the original meaning of an experience (to remember it) and overlay an understanding that the action was sinful isn’t enough to repair the damage caused by the original experience. We can’t be forgiven just by this because the effect of that action ripples outward, propagating. I find it interesting to tackle this in regard to Christ’s sacrifice. We are still sinning. Our actions still ripple outward. And yet now, because the effects will be cleaned up, we can immediately be forgiven and made clean. Thus an internal acknowledgement of a sinful state becomes sufficient for repentance, no longer demanding penance. The process is intriguing, and plays into one of the themes of my essay: the effect of the past on the present and vice versa—except this overlays the effect of the future onto both.

  We recently reintroduced the concept of the second self into class discussion, but this time regarding the encounter between two beings. I was struck by the fact that we referenced a shadow self as elements that we’d rather not reveal about ourselves, rather than a completion of self. This form of shadow self is just as valuable as an Enkidu or Patroclus, though. It confronts us with our perceived failures and asks us to grapple with whether or not they are controllable or perhaps instead not failures at all. I was reminded of the scene of the crushing of the snake’s head in C.S Lewis’s “The Great Divorce.” The snake—temptation—begs that its life be spared. Because it appeared as a companion, hearing its pleas and acknowledging that it will permanently die makes any action against the plaguing influence (a parody of a shadow self) inherently much more difficult. In some sense, the shadow self has a competing self-preservation instinct that may make us hesitate and spare it...

  It is important to analyze the duality of myth created by symbolism. As discussed in class and in many blog posts, myth has led to the creation of symbolism in the human race. Without symbolism, humans can only relate to absolute fact. Fact is the only form of information that humans would understand. Symbolism closes the gap between tangible and intangible actions. With an understanding of action’s deeper meaning, it is possible to relate myth to real life. Though individual stories vary in contact, all journeys correlate through symbolism. Journeys come in many forms. Some journeys are mythical stories and others are real-life examples. These journeys can be extremely different in the specifics and details of the journey. The journeys still relate deeply due to the symbolism of its steps. Regardless of the journey, the steps of a journey, such as initiation and others, all get followed along the path of a journey. These steps have symbolic meaning, regardless of the specific de...

  In a previous blog post, I discussed the duality of myth. The symbolism found in myth helps relate real-life situations to mythical stories. Duality of myth is exhibited through journeys themselves though. When analyzing an individual journey, a journey will exhibit duality as well. The external aspects of a journey are easily identifiable. External aspects include physical movements and tangible differences in location. While external journeys occur, an equally powerful internal journey is occurring. This journey consists of changes in emotions and beliefs. Changes in belief are reflected in changes in action. A person’s morals and beliefs drive the actions they take. In order for an external journey to occur, an internal journey must propel someone’s actions to change. As a person’s internal feelings change, it becomes possible for their behavior to change. Another example of the duality of myth is the double-sided journey that occurs. 

  An idea that becomes especially interesting to analyze is death. In its most basic form, death is actually an extraordinarily simple idea. The body stops working and the living components within the organism die. Blood stops flowing, lungs stop breathing, and a person is dead. As we know, death is actually much deeper than that. Through the creation of symbolism, we understand “life” is more than a tangible concept. It is not only the physical capsule in which a person is held. More so, it contains the personality and soul of the human it contains. Every human being is wholly distinguishable from another. No two humans look or act the same. Upon death, an entire individual is knocked off the face of the earth. While death happens countless times every second, it should never be looked at as mundane as that. Bodies are not the only thing dying. Each time someone dies, their individual personality and idiosyncrasies die too. They leave behind unfulfilled hopes and desires larger th...

  The topic of my main essay is going to be an analysis of Harry Potter . In this post I’m going to explore some of the symbolism in the Harry Potter series. Throughout the book, J.K. Rowling uses many artifacts to show symbolism in the series. The first artifact is Hogwarts castle. The castle is used as a symbol of safety throughout the series. Physically, the castle was extraordinarily safe. It had huge walls and was magically enchanted. Surrounded on all sides by a forest and a village, it was practically unbreachable. On a deeper level, it was a place of emotional security for Harry Potter. In the outside world, Voldemort was lurking trying to kill Harry Potter, the chosen one. Additionally, Harry never had a home in the muggle world. Hogwarts is the first place that he had friends and people he cared about. Furthermore, his mentor A,bus Dumbledore was the headmaster. These relationships put Harry in a place of comfort. This comfort allows Harry to feel safe from the outside wo...

  To continue the discussion of symbolism in Harry Potter, Rowling also uses symbols of power throughout the series. In addition to artifacts representing safety (Hogwarts), Rowling uses weapons to represent ultimate power. First off, Harry’s use of the Sword of Gryffindor helps establish his power. The Sword is mounted on the wall of Albus Dumbledore. It is said to only come in the time of need to a “True Gryffindor”. A True Gryffindor is represented by ultimate courage and bravery. The mystique and rareness of the sword amplifies  its power in the mind of wizards. Only a true and powerful wizard can wield the sword, and Harry used it in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry’s ability to use the sword portrays him as a powerful wizard. The next artifact Rowling uses is the Elder Wand. The Elder Wand is the most powerful wand in the land. The only way to own the wand and use it is to disarm or kill the previous owner. Throughout time, only the most powerful wizards have owned the wand...

  A great example of several intertwined journies is The Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, more specifically the Game of Thrones adapted version. The whole series is centered around the 7 Kingdoms of Westeros, all ruled by the Iron King. The great families of Westeros (Lannisters, Starks, Tyrells) all fight and feud for the Iron Throne. The series examines how several alleged kings and queens behave on their journeys.The story contains textbook journeys by several individuals, including Daenerys Targaerean. Daenerys fled to Essos after her family’s dynasty was destroyed. She rose from nothing, with the help of her dragons. Along the way she built one of the greatest armies in the 7 Kingdoms. The series ends with her atop the Iron Throne ruling Westeros. The story uses several artifacts like any other story. The Iron Throne is the biggest symbolic artifact in the book. Similar to the Elder Wand, it represents power. All lords are striving for the Iron Throne and ultimate ...

  Recently I read an article about LeBron James' path to a championship in Cleveland. Following his first stint, he moved on to the Miami Heat and won several championships there. However, he always faced criticism for not winning one in his home city. This criticism was the call for LeBron to come back home and win a championship. He received his aid in the form of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. He faced many trials as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It took him several years to win an NBA championship, but he eventually did. This was the climax of LeBron’s journey, beating the critics and winning a championship in Cleveland. Following this, LeBron did his return to the LA Lakers. He won a championship with the Lakers which completed his journey. LeBron’s journey to a championship is extremely resemblant to a mythical journey.

  Hercules is an epic example of a hero’s journey and redemption arc. Hercules was driven mad  by the goddess, Hera, who wanted him dead. Being driven mad, Hercules killed the kids he had with his wife. Realizing his sin, Hercules goes to Delphi to attempt to atone for his sin. The Delphi puts him into service of his cousin for 12 years. His cousin, the king, sent him out to complete 12 impossible tasks. Throughout his journey, Hercules completes each individual labor. Hercules is the ideal visualization of a hero. A big individual who completes supernatural tasks that no one thinks possible. While Hercules is certainly a hero, the concept of a “hero” is a lot broader than people think. A hero is anybody who undertakes a journey and successfully completes it as a hero. Under this logic, most individuals have been “heros” at some point in their life. 

  In C.S. Lewis’ essay “Myth Became Fact”, Lewis delves into the importance of myth on the human mind. The human experience is one defined almost entirely by symbolism. Without symbolism, humans trudge through their days perceiving nothing but the tangible. Deeper meaning is nearly impossible to understand, as we can only comprehend experiences directly related to our 5 senses. Myth, is one of the main things that help change this. Myth transcends the physical barrier and allows humans deeper understanding. Myth is responsible for implementing abstract ideas and concepts into the brains of humans. Without myth, the symbolism we require in our lives would be wholly unachievable. The presence of myth in our lives allows humans to live lives of meaning, outside the tangible aspects. 

  An important aspect of the hero’s journey, as described by Joseph Campbell, is the presence of supernatural aid. Journeys as a whole are extremely personal experiences. A human or hero sees a change they wish to make and begins a path of change. This path is filled with extraordinary challenges and growth from the inside. Without this personal growth and transformation, the journey is incomplete. Due to the personal nature of journeys, the importance of aid is lost upon people. Any journey is impossible without supernatural aid. Whether a character or object, an especially powerful object is necessary to catapult one through their journey. Many people claim to enter places of isolation and solemnity to achieve their journey. While these feelings can help propel an individual through a journey, the journey is impossible to complete without the help of an outside source. 

  In Joseph Campbell’s book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, Campbell lays out the steps of a journey in 3 distinct phases. The third phase, return, is what I will focus on in this blog. After successfully completing the journey, one has successfully completed their transformation. At the beginning of the journey, a hero sets out to change some aspect of themselves or the world around them. After finally separating from the current world, trials and tribulations help to prove the hero capable of this transformation. Following the final test, a hero has completed their transformation. At this point, all that is left is to return to the original world with this newfound knowledge. The whole point of the original journey was to transform an aspect of oneself. This transformation is impossible without a return to the original world. Upon return, the complete transformation is now possible to observe. This knowledge or transformation is called “Return with the Elixir”. Returning with ...

  In Joseph Campbell’s book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, Campbell lays out the steps of a journey in 3 distinct phases. The first phase, departure, is what I will focus on in this blog. The departure is the stage in which the hero’s journey begins. During departure, an individual must separate themselves from their current physical world. The call to action brings individuals out of their world into a new adventure. Heroes tend to deny their call and must be repeated. Typically, the call to action is reciprocated by supernatural aid. When a hero is finally ready to advance worlds, one must cross the threshold. This threshold, either physical or metaphysical, is required to enter a new world. Following the threshold, one will encounter a mentor to lead them through their journey. 

  As I reflect on this class, I found it relevant to reflect on my own journey to this point. Growing up, I always had a dream to be successful and make money. As a younger human, there are a lot of possible options to make money as a career. When I graduated high school, I had several different calls to action. One call was to go work and the other was to go to college. I crossed the threshold and decided to enroll in college. Upon arrival at college I was immediately subjected to several trials. Classes were more difficult than high school and it was harder to get good grades. Additionally, it was difficult to manage time with basketball as well as a harder schedule. However, as the semester and year went on I continuously overcame these obstacles before eventually finishing the year strong. Following a successful first year, I experienced my return. My return back home as a successful student was the completion of my journey. 

   In this final blog I thought I would use the structure of Campbell's myth and attach it to my own life and see what happens. The first step to any hero's journey is the call. For me I think this would come from maybe a camp a went to that talked about many different health fields. But I think I won't truly realize the call until significant time has passed. The second step is the helper. For me this is Jesus. As a Christian I think that Jesus brings me much help and without him the journey of my life would not exist. The crossing over the threshold for me right now would be the process of going to college but I believe that once I graduate the crossing of the threshold will change to the leaving of college. The trials that I have faced are pretty minuscule fortunately and I think that there are many more that will come later, particularly after I have left college. The final step of the journey is the crossing back over the threshold. I have no idea where this is in my o...

 December 8, 2022       In "Following the Uncharted Way: Aesthetic Journeys on Land, Sea, and Within," Dr. Redick talks about the effect and influence pieces of literature can have on a journey. I think this is interesting because I never thought too much about it before. Pondering the idea now, I agree with Dr. Redick. A beautiful speech can empower one to go on a journey to find God and seek peace with Him in His paradise. There are many different ideas of God that people believe, and I think that, in one way or another, we all believe in this divine being and that our souls seek out some kind of relationship with this being. As a Catholic, I believe in God and that He has a plan for me that I am being called to. Others might believe in a different kind of god, but they are still being called. I believe that all of our souls are seeking a journey of fulfillment through a higher power, one that leads us on a journey inward. This inward journey allows us to refl...

  December 8, 2022  The poem, " In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo " was very interesting to read for me, and I enjoyed the discussion we had about it. While I was reading it, I started to relate to the message of the poem. The way I understood it, the main character in Rumi's poem did not realize that what he was looking for was right in front of him, and he ended up going down a dif ferent path just to find it. He went on this journey to Cairo to find some meaning to his life that will satisfy, and at the end, he realizes "there was a treasure for me in Baghdad, ... What I’m longing for lived in my house in Baghdad!" (Rumi). This is a common phenomena that many people have happen to them unintentionally. People nowadays get so caught up in living their lives for other people and according to society's standards, instead of doing what makes them happy. Many people get this feeling that they need something more that they don't have, but don't exactly know...

 I saw a few people writing blog posts about death and I wanted to share my personal thoughts on it. Death is a process that will come to us all. It’s as natural as life. One minute you’re here and the next minute, you’re not. You’ve left and you can no longer make your mark on the world, but I don’t think so. Throughout the class we discussed artifacts and how they may appear normal to some but to others are able to convey strong emotions and even affect their way of thinking. I think humans can be considered artifacts too. The family and friends we have all run off on us in different ways and when they do, those traits never leave. For example: I was talking to my friend a few years ago and I made him laugh. He covered his mouth in laughter and shock which he’s never done before. When I questioned it he said “oh I’ve been hanging with Sarah (other friend) a bunch and she does it so I think she’s running off on me.” To me I thought that was a little crazy. Small changes like how y...

 December 8, 2022 In high school, I was tasked with reading The Odyssey  in my English class. It was different from the books I had read for my English classes before because we were now diving deeper into epics, the meanings of them, and their hidden messages. It was hard for me to understand the text at first because of the way it is worded and written by Homer. But once we started discussing it in class, I understood it better. the story of The Odyssey follows Odysseus, who is a Greek hero and King of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. His journey ends up being 10 years long and is quite a struggle, as he has to battle mystical creatures and face the wrath of the gods, all in order to return home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. With the help of the god Athena, he is able to do so, and he eventually restores order and peace to his home, Ithaca.  Odysseus is a prime example of the hero's journey. He is called to Troy to fight in the Trojan War, ...

 So with it being the final day and all I wanted to reflect on what I’ve learned throughout the year.  We began the year with the discussion of myth and distinction between mythos and logos. Mythos being the sacred, unexplained world and logos being the scientific, profane and explained world. We talked about how mythos is still a thing and how many authors of fiction are actually creating mythos, a world where the unexplained explained away as something out our comprehension.  We then took to the real topic of the class: hero stories. We began reading Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces and wrote an essay on the hero’s journey in a story of our choosing. We learned the hero’s journey is split into the departure, initiation, and return and it loops in a cycle. As the hero gets called to action, he initiates his journey. He meets with the spirit mother and gains higher understanding before reaching the apotheosis. He then returns to his own world and he becomes the maste...

 December 8, 2022       Does pain have a purpose? I feel like I have asked myself this question on multiple occasions. In one of our classes, Dr. Ritchie came in and led a discussion, and one of the main topics we discussed was pain, the sources it comes from, the role it plays in our life, and the different ways in which we can interpret and deal with it. From the talk and what I gathered from what others said was that pain is not related to the concept of purpose itself. However, that does not mean we cannot use our pain for a purpose. When we are experiencing pain, we often misplace where we direct that pain because we allow it to take over our lives and control us in a way. And we let that pain change into anger and we use that anger to fuel us, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways. However, I think that we should try to use that pain to motivate ourselves in some way, whether it is to work harder, have more fun, take more risks, study more, etc....

 December 8, 2022  Death is a part of life that happens whether we want it to or not, and most of the time, we are not ready for the mourning that will follow. Death can be sudden or it can be expected, but either way, you will be prepared for the pain the follows when you lose someone. I was reminded of this when Dr. Redick spoke about the sudden loss of his friend while walking on the Camino. The video that he made and dedicated to his late friend almost brought me to tears because it was touching and sweet, and conveyed the amount of sadness and pain we feel when a good friend dies. The journey of mourning is different for everyone, and can be more internal and external. Some people are able to deal with it immediately, accept it, and move on. Others grieve for a lot longer, and this could be for different reasons. Some of the reasons could be because the loss was sudden and unexpected, they had something to tell that person, they had plans with them, or it is just hard for...

 December 8, 2022  The song "Hymn #101" by Joe Pug was something unfamiliar to me because I do not really listen to these types of songs a lot. So when listening to it and discussing the lyrics and meaning behind them during class, I took a step back and just listened to what my classmates were saying about it because I was just trying to understand what the song what saying exactly. The first stanza of the song struck me as the most interesting and was the most intriguing of all of them because I could relate to it. The first stanza states:  And I’ve come to know the wishlist of my father I’ve come to know the shipwrecks where he wished I’ve come to wish aloud, among the overdressed crowd Come to witness now the sinking of the ship Throwing pennies from the seatop next to it When I first read these lyrics, I kind of understood them and thought they meant something different from what some others were saying their class. For me, the "shipwrecks" meant like metaphori...

 December 7, 2022  People say that music has the power to say the things we don't know how to, and I really believe this. Over the years, music has been able to help me in more ways than I could ever imagine. The song "Ghost of You" by Justin Bieber and "Love That lets Go" from Hannah Montana has helped me grieve and deal with my grandpa's passing in January of this year. Both songs talk about how, even if someone you love is gone, they will always be with you and that one day, you will see them again. The song "Lightning" by The Wanted reminds me of my childhood because it was released over 11 years ago, so it makes me think about my middle school days, running around with my friends and causing some chaos here and there. When I hear country music, it reminds me a lot of my mom because when she would pick us up from school, she would always turn the radio to the country station or play country songs from her phone. Now country music has become one...

 In this final blog I thought I would use the structure of Campbell's myth and attach it to my own life and see what happens. The first step to any hero's journey is the call. For me I think this would come from maybe a camp a went to that talked about many different health fields. But I think I won't truly realize the call until significant time has passed. The second step is the helper. For me this is Jesus. As a Christian I think that Jesus brings me much help and without him the journey of my life would not exist. The crossing over the threshold for me right now would be the process of going to college but I believe that once I graduate the crossing of the threshold will change to the leaving of college. The trials that I have faced are pretty minuscule fortunately and I think that there are many more that will come later, particularly after I have left college. The final step of the journey is the crossing back over the threshold. I have no idea where this is in my own...

In class we have talked about experience and encounter and what they mean and their differences and I have found a lot of it to be pretty confusing, But I figured I would use this blog to talk out some of those confusions. I understand that encounter is an experience that is has outside oneself. This could occur with another person, but it could also happen with a divine being. The encounter happens following and experience. As soon as the encounter begins the experience ends. An experience is something that is only internal and one does not realize that it is happening. If we are to realize that it is happening it would then become an encounter because we are then encountering ourselves, right? I think that is right. Can you have an encounter with yourself though. Would that just be an experience because it is internal. Also can thoughts have encounters. What if you are thinking about someone, would that be an encounter because are you are thinking about something outside of yourself....

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the fifth type. Van der Leeuw said that “music is the echo of the eternal Gloria.”  By this statement alone. The power of music in worship can be seen. Music is an “echo” it takes the form of the eternal Gloria.  Not the exact form as it is an echo, meaning a similar form. Van der Leeuw then goes on to say that “Spiritual music is music, which is not only a revelation of the beautiful, but also of the holy, not through the subject matter of the text or the occasion for which it was composed, but through the fact that holiness and beauty have mutually interpenetrated.”  What Van der Leeuw is saying in this quote goes back to what he said previously. Music is an “echo”, but it also is a revelation of beauty and the holy. ...

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the fourth type. Van der Leeuw says that "whoever denies images to be vehicles of the divine power opposes the revelation of God in the human form of Christ." This quote really stood out to me because a lot of people get upset when someone tries to portray Jesus. While yes we might not know what he looked like, I tis not wrong to guess at his appearance. It's also not a guess we know where he came from and his ethnicity. I also like this because images are crucial. I think of all the times as a young boy I would see images that depicted certain events that took place in the Bible. They are crucial for learning and understanding certain topics. Images can also inflict emotions that might not occur by simply reading a pas...

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the third type. In this section of the paper Van der Leeuw speaks about "Word" in terms of poetry and the reading of words as a form of art. He says that "The beauty of words does not reside in their meaning, but in their rhythm, ini they're meter." I believe this is true. The ways that words are arranged and ordered so that they flow has way more impact on the reader than the words that are being said. Words spoken need to have a rhythm to them so as not to bore the reader. He also said that a poet "does not use the jargon which we commonly call "everyday language." Her does not speak in "concepts" our abstranciotns." All 9f those are ways of stunting the language of poets."...

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the second type. Van der Leeuw says this: "The sharp rhythm, the monotonous movement, the furious temp, all put the dancer beside himself.. the negation of self has brought him closer to a higher life. Whoever has lost his self has room for God." What he is saying here is that when we dance we leave ourselves and become something else. Because we leave oursleves we are able to become closer to God. He says that dance reflects the highest movement of God. Is dance different than just regular walking? They are both just movements. It is interesting though because I grew up in a family that had a fondness for the arts. I was involved in theater and my sister was involved in dance, specifically ballet. So I was very exposed to ...

December 7, 2022 In class, Dr. Redick talked about the process or storing memories and what happens when we recall them. In psychology, you discuss how, over time, your brain networks change, which in turn could cause you to alter the memory in some way when you later recall it. An example of this is when you are recalling a memory from the past from when you were going to a party. In hindsight, you know you made a mistake and should have stayed from, but at the time, you had no clue that it was a bad idea. If you think to yourself, "Looking back, that was a really bad idea," that could become part of the story when you tell it to others now. This changes the story itself because you added a detail that was not there before, which is the magic of hindsight bias. I could probably bet you that almost everyone has had this happen to them at one point or another, whether they realize it or not. This is part of the beauty of hindsight, many people do it unintentionally and do not ...

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the first type. The first type of praise comes in the form of drama. "Art is not an imitation of the movement of life. Art has its own movement. 'Art doe snot reproduce the simple object, but only the object which has already been perceived aesthetically. One might say, paradoxically, that art is not an imitation of things, but an imitation (arbitrary production) of aesthetic experiences." I think this is very true. Art has its totally own type of movement to itself. One can use drama and acting to worship God. However with that said I think that dramatic worship is the hardest form out of the four types that will be talked about. "To express the holy by mean son the human is certainly the most difficult and the mo...

I wanted to speak about the journey of Honors 388 a little and the process of taking this class. I think like many things there are two aspects in the journey. There is the internal journey and the external journey. The external of the class in simple. We sign up for the class, we show up, we have the discussion, and then we glean information from our discussions. The internal journey of the class is slightly more complex. When arriving in that room everyday you never know what was going to happen. Sometimes there would be bread on the table, or cookies, or homemade goodies. It was always a surprise. Sometimes you would hear a crazy wild ride of a story from Kip Redick about his years when he was hitch hiking. The class was unpredictable. Not everyone really knew each other, but by the end of the class there was a bond. A willingness to be open with one another even when you might not have known the other people really well. This was the internal journey. The process of opening up to g...

 The journey of mourning is an interesting one and I was reminded of it when Kip Redick spoke about the death of his friend in class. Mourning looks very different to a lot of people but I believe that even though that is the case there is still both an internal and external journey. I think the fact that is an inward journey should not come as a surprise to most people, however I think people might not realize that grief and mourning is also an external journey. When someone passes away there is a void left in that persons heart one that often desires to be filled with something else. You could treat the death as a call. It creates an absence, calling the person to some sort of action. For some people mourning and grief can be a time to go on a journey of some sort. An example of this old be a Camino. Especially if it is your ig if isn't other who has passed away you want to do something to honor them. People will often also start a campaign of some kind. Breast cancer is a popula...

     Time for the triweekly “hero’s journey in entertainment” spot! We spoke in class Thursday about spirit and Bladerunner, and I wanted to connect the concept of superhumanity to another work. Detroit: Become Human, is decidedly less dystopian than Bladerunner, but it shares the same focus on presence, connection, and comments in very similar ways on what it means to be human. The 12 hour (12!) saga covers three separate heroes, each with their own personal goals, but ultimately highlights their intertwining to comment on whether the screens we filter through to view memories and derive meaning from life make us more or less people. On the one hand, being present—in a flow state—is an amazing experience. On the other hand, its lack of emphasis on meaning is, in some ways, distinctly animal. Detroit posits another extreme. Does primarily, or exclusively, being able to interpret through a lens of data reduce one’s humanity? Androids in David Cage’s universe take no human ...

  Both Nathaniel’s term paper topic and Dr. Redick’s essay for the W&M Journey panel cited the relevance of archaeological environments as ways to convey the hero’s journey. We also discussed the nature of ancient ruins and their relationship to memory. I want to unpack this interplay a little more. At the end of our class discussion on memories, we discussed the ways in which there is a paracausality between the interpretation of a memory and its actual meaning. This seems immensely counterintuitive, as events occur a single time—how then can they be changed by the future? This question stands on a presupposition that is not entirely accurate: events don’t only occur one time. The act of recalling draws a facsimile that is alterable in the present. In the case of ancient archaeological sites, the act of still standing is a repeated one, and influenced by how we perceive the structures. Revitalization efforts may fill in derelict gaps to revitalize what was, and yet these...

  Although I can hardly argue that deficiencies in encounter (meeting someone beyond the bounds of self, necessitating an other) have only sprung up in the modern day, I see a particular pain point in the age of information. Recent studies have suggested that our brains can store between 2 and 2.5 petabytes of information, if we translate into the binary system that computers use. This is, in its own regard, an extraordinary number. Most of the video games I play take up around 500MB, which is .00005% of my brain’s total capacity. The largest tech companies pay millions to maintain data stores just tens of times the size of my (and your) mind. And yet there are far, far more than 2 petabytes being sent and received across the internet daily. They’re just not stored. News stories. Text messages. Memes and emojis. On and on. Every day, we are offered the ability to drown ourselves in data that is separate from us. In regards to encounter, taking the role of the intent listener wi...

  I’ve had spats with grimdark storytelling in the past, and often have come away with distaste for the format. I’ve noticed that it is far, far more likely to discount the agency of participants than your average tale. This in many ways flies in the face of our discussion on the hero’s journey, as a world so dismal that it can and does destroy anyone at any time makes the progression of character unnecessary. Myths reveal reality—and I don’t see reality in unpreventable death. The exceptions to this rule are the video game adaptations of the Warhammer, which are brutal, unforgiving, and absolutely give the sense that (like its narrative counterparts) deaths can and do happen unexpectedly and swiftly. The difference is the sovereignty of the player. The ability to undergo a journey is a weapon against the grimdark format. Where waiting for death (a very book-warhammer sort of behavior) yields no boons and no safety, expending all energy to become stronger is itself a lifeline. ...

  I’ve gone through different phases listening to Dr. Redick’s stories—many of which require him to shed some (or many of his clothes) for one reason or another. The late teenager in me finds these tales hilarious. The scholar of storytelling, however, noticed a theme. In many of the stories Dr. Redick recounts, there’s a recurrent refrain about the reason for this discarding of clothes. For whatever reason, be it to honor a holy site by only allowing the essence of man in, or to get a better grip with one’s feet, or to prevent hypothermia by making sure there are clothes good for insulating after going underwater, there is a recognition of the versatility and efficacy of the human body. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to take this a step further and say that it symbolically represents a trust in the design of life—a leap of faith. What has been given will be enough to do what is needed. I see this as one of the destinations of a hero’s personal development. Situations may...

  I was struck by the shared resonance of human experience between North America and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa during our expedition to MENA’s poetry reading. Writers like Yehuda Amichai and Rumi brought forth concepts like generativity and pursuit of God in ways that felt very similar to Western tradition, despite a cultural rift miles wide. What I was struck by was the contrast between the sense of unity these poets’ work (and many others) evoked—and not just within their culture, but in entirely different ones as well—compared to the confusion and dissonance I often see when comparing the values of American prose literature. Just as often as I find myself in sync with The Way of Kings , I struggle to comprehend the rationale behind a work like Atonement . And if I gave one of these to a reader of a different culture, I can nigh-guarantee that there would be a less-than enthusiastic response to the espoused views—not because of their difference (MENA’s...

  Wool is my favorite book, which is amusing, because I called its writing style abhorrent at my most pretentious and put it down after half a minute of examination. Months later, a very different person for a bevy of reasons, I picked it up again, and saw a very different story. Wool spans three separate protagonists and five separate, smaller stories. In the first forty pages, it kills the first, and at that time the only, of its heroes. The effect is striking. I’d never seen another book do something so audacious and so significant. It immediately shifted my perspective: Wool would not be about a person and their incredible feats. It would center on the building —a stationary symbol—to give a sense of timelessness. A year later, on my second reread, I decided I was wrong again, this time about the theme that Holston’s unprecedented death instates rather than the quality of the book (I knew it was very good by then). Wool is certainly not about one person, but it’s al...

  Our discussion with Dr. Ritchie was extremely insightful this past Thursday. One of the elements that stood out most to me was our analysis of pain. The nature of pain—the sources of pain—how mental illness intersects. What struck me is that we addressed pain as two things: Pain is, in some form or another, inevitable. We experience the pain of purposelessness simply from not doing anything; what more from something that pushes our very limits? Pain is unrelated to the concept of purpose.  This second point is what I am most fascinated by. Like many other emotions, pain can be both well placed and very, very much so not. There is such a thing as righteous anger, and there is such a thing as unabated, unreasonable, uncontrolled rage. So too for joy, where joy can celebrate and it can ignore substantial concerns. The problem is that we implicitly assume that pain either is always bad, leading either to anguish or to an attempt to break the first rule of pain and sanitize ...