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..:: The Hero ::..
By
Alan Schneider
Although the Shadow is probably more
psychologically influential, acting as it customarily does from the
concealment of the unconscious, there is no question that the Hero
is the most universally recognized archetypal symbol in the history of
all cultures of the Earth. And this is conscious
recognition at that – fully apprehended in the ego’s waking perception
as an ultimate goal to be attained, or at least strived for, in material
existence. This universal presence of the Hero in all cultures is what
Joseph Campbell was alluding to through the title of his monumental work
on heroism – The Hero with a Thousand Faces – still one of
the best treatments in print of this subject. No archetypal symbol is
more important in history than the Hero.
The Hero expresses the idealistic vitality of society. In
this representation, we see our most laudable characteristics, and
believe, however subtlely or overtly, that we mirror those qualities in
our own behavior to a greater or lesser extent. The universality of this
image points to a profound psychological need – one that has its roots
located in the deep personal and collective unconscious – a need to
connect to life at the most meaningful and significant
level attainable. The Hero lives a life filled with superlative
exemplifiers of potency and purpose; a life that is meaningful in the
fullest sense of the term. The lives of more generic individuals
frequently seem to be bland in comparison. The Hero is larger than
life in psychological importance to the struggling world ego that so
deeply needs the reassurance of this symbol that life can be worth the
cost of living.
The Hero is perhaps most significant as the counterpoint
to the harsh realities that compose much of our experience on the
manifest physical plane of expression. Now, there do seem to be
many literal cases of both heroes and heroism that occur in life, and
this author by no means wishes to disparage those real, legitimate
examples of people who surmount the obstacles set before them, and
achieve measures of excellence and self development in the process. The
fact remains that there are also many, many charlatans who have come to
appreciate the social power of the Hero archetypal symbol, and have
learned how to exploit what really only amounts to their fortunate Karma
in that regard for personal gain. As is the case with everything
everywhere, it is our personal and collective Karma that is the deciding
influence at work in life. We can only go where and accomplish
what God will continence for us. Even the role of personal will and
determination is Karmic – we must be born with those capacities
inherently present in our Psyche to subsequently utilize them in life.
In this vein of examination, we can say that true Heroic
presence is also Karmic in nature – real Heroes are born by the
Grace of God with that potential present in their personal Psyches. What
these people can show us – in the event of their full archetypal
development – is the world of substantial meaning and purpose behind the
trite superficiality of many of the acculturated rites and rituals
practiced in modern society. The real Hero is not an athlete or a
soldier or a politician – although these people can still display heroic
behavior in individual cases – the real Hero is the person who can see
beyond the social roles that superficially define us to the higher and
deeper levels of truth that eclipse the socio-economic definitions of
success – to the levels that sense the inner motivations of the
individual persona confronted with the ultimate issues of life, the
issues of mortality, sacrifice, agape love, the existence and nature of
God and Truth. The implications of these factors in this life of
turbulence and uncertainty define the background condition of Heroism.
Beyond this, the real Hero is that individual who then displays the
courage and discipline needed to come forward with what has been learned
of these genuinely important conditions and concerns and publicly offer
them to the community and the world, through selfless service, literary
and communicative discourse, and personal sacrifice.
The Hero is humbled by the knowledge of mortality and
eternity, by the enormous power and Presence of God, and by the infinite
expanse of the essential mystery of life, which seems to be present and
remains intangible. The Hero understands that knowing the Truth means
sharing the Truth with humanity. The Hero lives personal truth as an
expression of universal Truth. Given all of these conditions as the
defining elements of Heroism, it is perhaps not so hard to comprehend
why such individuals are rarities in the world – the personal cost is
astronomical to even the motivated individual, and incomprehensible to
most of us as we struggle along. Yet, the Light still shines forth, and
Heroes still emerge to carry that Light.
How can we apply the principles of Heroism in our lives,
should we be motivated by the still, small voice of Conscience to do
so? First and foremost, by being willing and able to interrupt our
daily routines to intervene meaningfully in each others lives. The
temptation exists to say “when needed”, but the truth of the matter is
that such intervention is always needed, because we are always
blinded by Maya, delusion, and materialism. This meaningful intervention
involves the further willingness to share on an emotional level as well
as the intellectual level – the intellect cannot penetrate, nor
perceive, the existential agony of the Soul, but the emotions can. We
must be capable of accepting and understanding the emotions as the
workshop of the Spirit. This is very intimidating to many people,
steeped as we are in callous materialism and “thing” worship in modern
culture, but still very true. We must learn to function as feeling
beings to support the Truth of Consciousness in ourselves and for each
other. Undergoing a course of psychological therapy is excellent
training for this qualification, and I unreservedly recommend this for
everyone – most particularly for those who are imprisoned by the
intellect in the Mind Trap.
The second requirement of Heroism in daily life is the
capability of spontaneous expression of perception. The ego normally
censors every word and deed with reference to social acceptability and
personal consequences, resulting in a more or less completely artificial
social “shell” encasing our otherwise authentic consciousness. To the
extent that we censor our words and deeds, we deny the Truth. It goes
without saying here that untold amounts of suffering are required to
remove the conditioning that holds personal censorship in place in the
case of those severely so afflicted, but this is one of the prices to be
paid for Enlightenment – there’s no easy way to be free!
The third, and (arguably) last, requirement of Heroic
practice is the willingness to sacrifice personal interests for
universal interests. One who would be a Hero must be able to place the
collective well-being of humanity above personal matters of desire and
acquisition. The Hero lives for the sake of all sentient beings – really
for the sake of all of God’s Creation – not merely the personal
expressions of sentience seen in the ego. This philosophy of sacrifice
takes many forms as dictated by Karma, from feeding the homeless in
one’s community to the Presidency and Papacy, and many more stages in
between. This author has taken the path of personal and written
sacrifice. I speak often and earnestly to others, sharing my experience of
God and the Truth of Consciousness. This work is a privilege to me,
afforded to one such as myself who has had such a severe struggle to
attain Enlightenment, a struggle spanning this entire incarnation, with
frequent moral failings and reversals along the way. It was worth it,
and is worth my ongoing sacrifices as well. Nothing surpasses the Glory
of God living within the Psyche.
The consideration of the Hero is not complete without some
discussion of the Antihero, the counterpoised archetypal influence at
work in consciousness. The Antihero is frequently referred to in
theatrical literature as the Protagonist – a representation of a
dramatically involved figure who does not quite conform to the Heroic
standards thus far discussed. It is perhaps sad to say that, when the
salve of ego gratification is removed by the harsh light of personal
examination, most of us appear to be Antiheros. The hallmark
characteristic of this orientation is the tendency to fail in self
sacrifice, through deference to self gratification. The Antihero is so
attached to the senses that this demarcates consciousness, not
the universal well being of humanity. It must be stressed here that
there is no neutral ground present in the moral battle of life –
if we do not make Heroic decisions, we make Antiheroic ones by default.
To suppose otherwise is to bask in the illusion of Maya, while in
reality wasting the precious opportunity that we have been given as
sentient beings to make a significant difference for the good in each
others lives. This is the reality of choice that confronts us always on
the material plane.
C. G. Jung once observed that “The meaning of life is that
it is a battle. It always has been, and always will be.” How does
one “win” this battle? Is this accomplished by simple material gain?
Well, all material gain is lost at death – one who dies with the most
toys, still dies, leaving the toys behind. Is it accomplished by
sensory gratification? All such experiences are transitory,
coming and going as wisps of time however captivating they may be in the
moment, and leaving us only with the meager lessons that we may have
learned from their experience. One wins the battle of life by
seeking the truth behind personal experiences – a truth that can
only be known by turning within and searching through consciousness
until it is revealed as the essence of meaning present in those
experiences. If one searches in this manner long enough, God will stand
revealed.
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2007, Alan Schneider)
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