A lovely essay. The only part I might modify: "Campbell calls this supernatural aid, but in real life it often feels like improbable timing—or grace. The key is that the help arrives after commitment, not before."
I think sometimes the help is already there, but you can't see it until you commit. I know this has been true for me many times. I take a leap of faith, and find someone waiting to catch me whom I didn't even suspect would be part of the picture.
I can't say I have read Campbell's Hero, well, the first twenty-eight pages and the last. I found it a bit stilted. I preferred his spoken word, at least his spoken word transcribed. I can recommend The Power of Myth (the coffee-table version), Pathways to Bliss and Myths of Light. My three favourites.
This is beautiful. Andrew Klavan once told me that he wrote fiction to tell the truth. I want to add a link here to Sean Connery's recitation of Cavafy's Ithaka: http://labs.plantbio.cornell.edu/wayne/mp4/Ithaca.mp4 It is also beautiful.
A lovely essay. The only part I might modify: "Campbell calls this supernatural aid, but in real life it often feels like improbable timing—or grace. The key is that the help arrives after commitment, not before."
I think sometimes the help is already there, but you can't see it until you commit. I know this has been true for me many times. I take a leap of faith, and find someone waiting to catch me whom I didn't even suspect would be part of the picture.
I can't say I have read Campbell's Hero, well, the first twenty-eight pages and the last. I found it a bit stilted. I preferred his spoken word, at least his spoken word transcribed. I can recommend The Power of Myth (the coffee-table version), Pathways to Bliss and Myths of Light. My three favourites.
Dear Mark,
This is beautiful. Andrew Klavan once told me that he wrote fiction to tell the truth. I want to add a link here to Sean Connery's recitation of Cavafy's Ithaka: http://labs.plantbio.cornell.edu/wayne/mp4/Ithaca.mp4 It is also beautiful.
thanks,
randy
There is much wisdom here!