Heroic Homework
Why does it feel like I go out on what Joseph Campbell calls the “adventure of the hero” every time I try to write my blog for the week? Instead of facing the great wilderness or some mysterious realm that I travel to, I find myself navigating the readings we’re assigned and at times lost in my own struggle to grasp and internalize what the author is trying to convey. In accordance with the twelve point plot laid out by TEDEd video “What Makes a Hero?”[1], I find myself travelling the Hero’s Journey even as I write.
- Call to Adventure – My adventure begins when I take a look at what the assigned reading is for the week (usually a Monday or Tuesday… or honestly sometimes Thursday). I’m called into the task of reading and synthesizing.
- Assistance – There is the obvious journey of slogging through the book, but like some heroes, I’m only human. My special or supernatural assistance came in the form of the TEDEd video this week. Other times it comes in the form of literature reviews written by others or podcasts about the week’s reading.
- Departure – In a sense, I find that I leave my ordinary life and enter into the realm of writing when I open up a blank Word document. There’s a clear shift in my sense of time, purpose, and framework of operation.
- Trials – It’s a blank Word document, and honestly, I haven’t fully grasped the concepts I need to. As I begin to type, I realize that what I have is incoherent. Yet I make my way through the reading, supplemental materials, and push through to grab hold of a concept to center my blog around.
- Approach – I am just about done with my blog and begin to think about hitting “submit”.
- Crisis – I have published my blog post and it is just out there on the internet about to be read by somebody else. My thoughts and opinions. For me this is the epitome of crisis. I wait anxiously for comments to start coming in. Sometimes I want to crawl under a rock and just die as I re-read my own writing.
- Treasure – I don’t know why I feel the sense of crisis every time, because I treasure the feedback I receive from all of you. The comments help me to further digest what I read, help me to see perspectives I could never think of, and ultimately glean some sort of knowledge or wisdom.
- Result – Sometimes I feel empowered, ready to go at the next week’s reading/blogging adventure. Sometimes I feel defeated and unsure if I ever want to make my thoughts public again.
- Return – Sometimes it feels like I enter and exit my DLGP work like it’s a different realm. When I am done with the blog work I re-enter my “normal” life as a husband, dog-dad, and pastor.
- New Life – To some degree, because of the reading and as a result of interacting with everyone, I feel as though I experience a small modicum of transformation each week. The knowledge and/or wisdom I gain informs my life and ministry.
- Resolution – In a sense, all the stress, conflict, and trials I faced with the week’s reading fade into the background when the week ends.
- Status Quo – Hopefully I continue through life, in all my roles, a changed person because of the journey I traversed the week before.
It seems silly to compare my reading and writing to the mythological heroes of old. I don’t possess the strength/will of a Hua Mulan, the smarts of a Sherlock Holmes, or honestly even the luck of a Harry Potter. As I continued reading Campbell, however, I was struck by the idea that while perhaps the reading/writing is not the adventure, the goal of becoming a better leader just might be an endeavor worthy of being compared to the hero’s journey. “The center of gravity, that is to say, of the realm of mystery and danger has definitely shifted… The modern hero, the modern individual who dares to heed the call and seek the mansion of that presence with whom it is our whole destiny to be atoned, cannot, indeed must not, wait for his community… It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse.” (391)[2]
[1] “What Makes a Hero?,” directed by Kirill Yeretsky, December 4, 2012, video, https://youtu.be/Hhk4N9A0oCA.
[2] Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2020), 391.
About the Author
Caleb Lu
8 responses to “Heroic Homework”
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Hey Caleb,
Reading this blog post was quite fun, humorous, and yet insightful. I appreciate your honesty in connecting your struggle with exposing your thoughts to the world with the potential of scrutiny. From reading your post, I see that going on the hero’s journey may not always involve fighting dragons, or taking the one ring to Mordor, but rather showing up to our daily lives, tasks, and homework assignments. Great work my friend! Keep up the good work of responding to the call (or homework assignment). May we continue to be transformed as we overcome each challenge.
Hey Caleb,
This was a great connection to your hero’s (blog post) journey. Your honesty is infectious…thank you for sharing so openly (and humorously). I can relate to reading other’s post and thinking “can I take it back?”
I’m glad to share this journey with you.
Hi Caleb,
I can relate to your hero’s journey with writing the blog posts each week. I often struggle with feeling like I am not good enough and anxiously wait for the comments. I guess that is the struggle of the imposter syndrome, right? I always appreciate your posts and your comments. You frequently cause me to think about things in a new way or provide a perspective I had not seen. Yes, “the goal of becoming a better leader just might be an endeavor worthy of being compared to the hero’s journey.” We are all on a hero’s journey.
Caleb,
You have spelled out the weekly hero journey that we are all on! I resonated with every point made.
I am challenged by this quote you shared at the end:
“The center of gravity, that is to say, of the realm of mystery and danger has definitely shifted… The modern hero, the modern individual who dares to heed the call and seek the mansion of that presence with whom it is our whole destiny to be atoned, cannot, indeed must not, wait for his community… It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse.”
I’m curious what it means to you to “seek that mansion of that presence?” This is beautiful imagery.
Apart from your doctoral work, where are you finding yourself not waiting for community but taking the lead in guiding and saving? What is your comfort level in viewing yourself as a guide or savior?
I enjoyed your post, Caleb!
Honestly, I’m not really sure what Campbell meant by that… I would probably guess that he was talking about some higher power. For me that would be God and asking God “what are you up to?” in the world and in my life.
I probably don’t feel comfortable at all in being a savior or guide. I think the most I can do is to tell my story and detail my journey/process and hope it is helpful to someone else.
Caleb – Thank you so much for injecting some light-heartedness and joy to the sometimes dry reading of doctoral work! I appreciated your connection of leadership to the hero’s journey. What would you say is the active “crisis” in your leadership journey right now?
Laura, thank you for the encouragement!
I’m not sure I’ve faced my “crisis” yet. If anything it feels like I’m just beginning in my leadership journey or maybe even just preparing to begin.
Caleb,
It was so fun to watch your hero’s journey as we are all on the same one with you. You did it, and you will do it! Your final resolution will be that Dr. before your name and I’m so excited for you to have it!