I will not
elaborate over the great many myths presented during this class, I cannot begin
to explain the intricate entanglement of the ancient mythological tree or the
meaning behind every symbolic representation in the world of myths However,
myths are not meant to be interpreted literally, it doesn't do justice to their
true meaning. Myth represents life, the past, present and future; it is the
story of separation, initiation and transformation that defines life at its
finest. As defined by Calasso, “myth is the precedent behind every action, it
is invisible, ever-present lining.” The future will be distorted repetition from
the past, while the present is an individual’s interpretation of myth. To begin
to understand mythology one must understand its purpose not as a story but as a
representation of human desire.
The first class
began with a simple question; what is myth? Followed by the simplest answer
imaginable, myths are lies. This answer immediately lead to my first question, how
can there be an entire class based entirely on the study of lies? Weeks and
weeks of confusion slowly lead to my understanding of this question. Myths at
the surface are yes, merely an intricate lie based on what seem to be human
desires but the true greatness of a myth comes from beneath the words. The
purpose of a myth is to intrigue, teach and possess the audience.
To capture the
true meaning of a myth one must look beyond the surface of a story, to understand
not the obvious but the idea, the concept hidden beneath the words. The
Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony especially requires full attention to detail
to gain even a slight understanding of what is being portrayed. As an
engineering student the skill required understand any text written in such a
style seems to have been replaced, possible just repressed with the need to
read only with the intention of understanding the text at the most literal
level, never looking for any deeper meaning. This “technical” reading style has
distinguished the enjoyment that can be experienced when reading novel written
with true depth, requiring involvement beyond the mindless search for
individual spurts of information. The text book style of writing that has
transformed the process of reading to a dull, transparent process that requires
minimal involvement with even less reward. This class has urged me to relearn
if you will what has been repressed throughout my college career, a skill to
indulge myself in a story in order to find interest in the plot, to understand
the true meaning of which the author is trying to portray. Interest is the most
essential part of mythology, without interest what is the point of a story?
There is none, it is simply lost.
This idea of
finding interest in what could seem to be a tedious task reminds me of several
class discussions where the idea was presented that every action, every event
can be on its own fascinating, it requires simply right state of mind to
understand it’s greatness. Uncle John in
this class represents a person who is fascinated with something that seems very
dull and boring to others. When asked to think of an event that we do daily
that seems boring or uninteresting and try to fascinate yourself with the
details involved in this daily ritual with the hope that it could enrich one’s
life. I interpreted this as a challenge to begin to interpret the ideas
presented in class in such a way that could bring a deeper understanding and a
higher level of interest to the stories. As the class continued it seemed that
each myth explored seemed to represent glorified desires of mankind to form
some sort of a model that presents patterns in human life.
The myth of
Sisyphus, a king who was sentenced to endure the most repetitive pointless job
thinkable. He was forced to role a giant boulder up a steep hill where, upon
arrival the stone would simple roll back to the bottom continuing the never
ending process. Now, one may struggle to find a connection with this story but
does it not represent what we would call modern American life. An accountant, a
factory laborer, any repetitive action with what would seem to be an insignificant
outcome. If Sisyphus could have found some meaning in his task would that have
not in itself relieved him from his punishment? If one can find meaning in
tasks that they have been presented with than I would argue that they have
found fulfillment, in their life giving them what many search a lifetime to
find. "We all live pretty much boring lives. ... Yet if we
tried to tell the complete story of a single day we'd never be done with
it". Live life as a storyteller,
observe every detail, and reflect on every action, only then will you truly
learn to appreciate life.
Myths tell tales,
tales of betrayal, deception, love, pain… most of all pain, the sculpting knife
for life. Pain of any kind, physical or emotional, is in itself initiation, a
rite of passage that molds life and defines an individual. I have many scars,
scars from Ignorance, scars from stupidity, scars I couldn't have prevented. Each
scar represents a memory that will never be forgotten, a memory that will never
fade. Scars are tattoos, only with better stories a phrase I heard often as a
child, now I understand life is adventure, and what is an adventure without
stories to remember it by. As I add
chapters to my life, stories compiled from the pain I will inevitably bring
upon myself I begin to realizes that this powerful sensation is no longer what
I remember as a child. Pain is, now in a way humbling, it no longer is a sign
of failure but more a test, an opportunity to shape my story. Pain is powerful, pain is strength, never to
be forgotten, pain is temporary yet lives forever for pain is a story and
stories never die.
As I find myself
approaching the end of my time in this class, and on this campus I find myself reminiscing
on the stories I have created over the past five years. I could tell stories
love, stories of loss, stories of pain, I could tell stories of stories I can’t
fully remember for a verity of reasons. But what of these stories they are not
unique, I am not a collegiate pioneer discovering the effects of alcohol and
various other substances. No, these stories I have experience are simply
renditions of far older tales, tales that have been passed down for thousands
of years. Now I ask myself what I have learned from this class, I have learned
the importance of these stories, I have learned that there is no path not
traveled “for every step, the footprint is already there” all I hope for is the
opportunity to create a new story, define an experience that in its self is
unique and until this happens I wait patiently because to live by a myth is to
live the life of a god, and living like a god ain’t so bad.
