Myth in Our World

My latest exploration into mythology led me to read Once and Future Myths; The Power of Ancient Stories in Our Lives by Phil Cousineau. The author had Joseph Campbell as a mentor. He explores how myths still erupt into our modern day world, tracing them through his life experiences. I learned about the myth of artistic creativity, travel, mentorship, sports, cities and time. Some didn’t catch my interest like sports while other made some sense.

The myth of Sisiphus is still alive and well in our world. It demonstrates that people must persevere through tedious tasks. We can’t allow the relentless task to break our spirit. It is especially true of creativity as the author talks about in the chapter. Artists must struggle to bring their work to life. I can relate to this in my writing when I must continue to work on different projects. Writing every day is important to improve my craft and get my ideas down on paper.

Another aspect of myth in our present day is mentorship. Mentors can change people’s lives. They can be coaches, teachers or any adult that is not a family member. The author talks about how mentors help a young person find themselves by helping them explore new ideas and things. A mentor is not threatening to a person because they do not judge their charges. As an instructional assistant at the high school, I mentor students while they transition to life. Am I successful? I don’t know. I would like to think I’m keeping the myth alive with my help to students.

According to the author, travel is an important myth today. Many people travel every day all over the world. Phil Cousineau says we search for something sacred in the world like his trip to Easter Island. Some people travel internally in their minds. I have traveled some, but don’t consider myself a world traveler. Most of my travels consist of watching documentaries about the world. I’m not big on traveling far away from home. I think part of it is due to reading Fantasy literature. I’ve taken many journeys to imaginary worlds in my thoughts. Exploring my imagination is more intriguing to me.

The myth of the city is prominent today. People move to the cities of the world each day. They seek better lives for themselves and futures for their children. Cities gain a sort of character of their own. Paris is the city of lights. New York City the Big Apple. And so on. I come from San Jose,
California part of the Silicon Valley. Native born, I’ve seen my city change from a quiet agricultural town to a technology capital of the world. We have a population of diverse cultures. What I do resent is the area becoming a place where only rich people can live. I am a product of my city, growing and changing with it. Cities do influence our lives like myths.

Finally, time is a myth that affects our lives. The author states that humans are obsessed with saving time. In our fast paced lives, we rush to get things done. Time is a part of myth therefore timeless. People need to take time for contemplating life. Allowing yourself to sit quiet and think
lets time put you over the border into the realm of myth. I try to do this every day.

This mythology book is very interesting. The author gives you many things to think about in your life. I feel myths do live in our modern day world. We just need to be alert, pay attention and they can pop into our lives. This book inspires me to listen for them and continue my exploration of mythology.