From four heroes to an in visible one
We were in Oregon when three of my friends came up with a wild idea: to hike three ten-thousand-foot mountains in a single day! Maybe it’s not crazy, but it’s downright foolish. Pressured by the fear of missing out, I decided to join them on this journey. Joseph Campbell, in his book *The Hero with a Thousand Faces*, states, “Not the animal world, not the plant world, not the miracle of the spheres, but man himself is now the crucial mystery.” [1] We often do things we don’t want to do just to impress others, or we see a challenge that looks daunting, so we pursue it just to prove we can.
A day before our hike to the Three Sisters Mountains, our friend, who was leading the group (I’ll keep his name secret to protect his identity), was quite rude to me. I wanted to bring extra water, but he scolded me, saying, “If you have more weight than you need, you’d better keep up with me!” I wanted to wear hiking boots, but he opted for ordinary tennis shoes. At that point, I wasn’t having fun anymore because of my friend’s ego. Campbell says, “Man is that alien presence with whom the forces of egoism must come to terms, through whom the ego is to be crucified and resurrected, and in whose image society is to be reformed.” This quote reminded me of my friend. He thought he knew everything, and his pride spoke louder than the leadership I was seeking.
The biggest temptation one may face is to express my thoughts exactly as they are. I wanted to tell my friend that he was a terrible leader, yet something greater than myself stopped me. I knew it was the Holy Spirit! “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” [3] The Holy Spirit is the one who will guide us exactly where we need to go. I needed direction, and I received exactly what I needed.
On the day of our hike, we reached the summit of the first ten-thousand-foot mountain. We were doing well until our leader ran out of water, but I had more than enough, so I shared. On the way down from the mountain, just before we were ready to start hiking the second one, my friend jumped onto the glacier, which swept him down a short distance, forcing him to lie down for a while. When he stood up, I noticed he could barely walk because he wasn’t wearing the right shoes. Our plans changed completely. We had to descend from the first mountain all the way back to our cars, and the only way for my friend to return was for someone to carry him. Out of all three of my friends, I carried my rude leader friend back to the car for FIVE MILES! I could have told him he was a jerk and that I was right the entire time, yet the only words that came out of my mouth were, “I got you! I will carry you all the way to our car, and we will be okay.” If something could humble a man, that would be it.
We all learned valuable lessons during that trip. By the time we reached our car, my friends approached me and said, “We have no idea how you managed to carry this guy for five miles on your back. You are a HERO!” I replied, “I have no idea either. I couldn’t have done this on my own. Something much stronger was guiding all of us through this experience.” Campbell introduces the hero’s journey through departure, initiation, and return. In the departure phase, “the hero receives a ‘call to adventure,’ often refuses at first, then meets a mentor,” which in this case was the Holy Spirit. In the initiation phase: “The hero undergoes trials, encounters allies and enemies.” In this instance, it was my own self! Although my friend was challenging, taking control of myself and how I was going to respond was far more difficult. In the return phase: “The hero returns to their world with newfound wisdom,” which I don’t possess much of yet, but I definitely learned a lot!
“The hero adventures out of the land we know into darkness; there he accomplishes his adventure, or again is simply lost to us, imprisoned, or in danger; and his return is described as a coming back out of that yonder zone.” [4]
It might seem like I am comparing myself to a hero, but I am not. We have all learned very important lessons and are grateful for our experiences. The Holy Spirito, and even though humans are complicate is the true herd, Jesus still died for us all.
[1] Campbell, 391
[2] Campbell, 391
[3] Hebrews 3:7-8
[4] Campbell, 217
About the Author
Ivan Ostrovsky
14 responses to “From four heroes to an in visible one”
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What a story! Were you able to help the leader of the expedition process his decision making and the impact it had on you and the team? Was he humble or defensive? Was he grateful or avoidant due to shame?
I appreciated the way in which you have effectively structured your story and aligning it with the framework of Campbells monomyth. A great read!
Thank you, Betsy! In my case, the best way to help my leader was to stay quiet and carry him on my back. I still remember him asking me, “If you were to write a sermon based on our experience, what would you say? Did you learn anything? Because I learned something.” That was the closest he came to apologizing to me, which I thought was cool. I didn’t say anything negative to him about how he treated me because I already knew that he realized it on his own. At times, it is better to let God do the saving while I follow His voice.
He was definitely humbled and grateful, primarily because I handled it gracefully and carried him for five miles! lol
I wondered if he had stayed connected and if he had shown any signs of retrospective embarrassment that had led to an apology or if he voiced a humble reflection. I’m sad if he missed that opportunity to repair and authentically voice his learning with you.
Regarding staying connected, not really. Although he felt genuinely sorry for how he treated me (by being kind to me), he unfortunately never apologized to me verbally. Even though I didn’t need his apology to treat him nicely, I know it would have been beneficial for him to do so to avoid repeating the same mistake with others.
Hi Ivan, what a compelling and rivetting story. I have to tell you the big smile on my face when I read… you had FOMO, not wanting to miss out on the 3 x 10,000 foot mountains you were going to climb.. IN ONE DAY!! i smiled and laughed so hard. What humility and discernment you had Ivan, during a time that your team of friends needed it the most. I’d say you leaned into an adventure that you absolutely were not expecting. The initiation of battling a physical and emotional battle to rescue your friend, and also having to keep your ego at bay for this time of crisis. I believe you are a hero, quietly doing what the Lord directed you to do, and without words, you shared a gospel of kindness and goodness to someone who was pretty challenging towards you. Campbell talks about an “ELIXIR” when the hero’s journey is complete, the hero returns with a new perspective, was there a transformation that happened with you from that experience?
Well, thank you for your kind words! Yes, climbing three 10,000-foot mountains in a day is pretty crazy, but I was in my 20s and loved adventure. To answer your question about returning from my trip with a new perspective, absolutely.
Physically, to do anything like what I did, I need to make sure I train my body and get ready for the unexpected.
Mentally – James 1:19 says, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Many times, I jump to conclusions and try to fix everything myself, but thanks to this experience, I have learned to rely more on God than anything else. Believe it or not, I had a very similar experience in the Sequoias, but in that case, I had to go back three times from 11,500 feet to 7,000 feet to carry people’s backpacks on the trip I planned with my youth. A story for another time.
I embrace the James verse as you do. It is a real discipline, that is for sure. I would choose you to be on my team if there were an apocalypse, Ivan! I could be that affirming team member and create the alignment for a healthy team! haha
What a great story Ivan. I see elements of a hero’s journey and having scaled a mountain just as high, I can only imagine the grit you had to carry your friend on the descent. I do agree with you on following the Holy Spirit’s promptings when faced with antagonizing situations – even when you know you are right. Do you think this posture (of turning the other cheek) is a path to transformation as a leader?
I have learned that the best leadership training occurs somewhere in the mountains, without cell service, and with a group of people you chose to hike with for a week or two. When you are with someone for that long, a person’s true character emerges, and I have to learn how to be around people who annoy me and with whom I don’t agree. Situations like this foster patience with people and help me handle real-life situations.
The phrase “turning the other cheek” originated with Jesus. He instructed us to go and make disciples. I believe that when we implement this in our daily practice, our hearts will change in how we view people; therefore, we would become leaders who genuinely care for others.
Thanks Ivan
Ivan, that is a spontaneous adventure and extraordinary undertaking. I’ve experienced similar instances on long overnight road marches in the US or navigating through the jungle in Panama. Even the best preparation, intention, will and planning can only get you so far. Then, the reality of the pursuit kicks in, and the game can change on a dime. All the other forces also get a vote along the way – weather, terrain, and the overall wear of the journey.
In this instance, you were instantly transformed from a “hero in waiting” to a “hero, ” from being led to a leader in a pseudo-battlefield promotion. You were mentally, physically, and spiritually prepared to quickly adjust and pick up the load (yes). It is a decisive moment to lean in and extend grace.
Have you still maintained this relationship with this person and revisited this story? I know that time can heal many wounds and bring humor and reconciliation. Also, what tidbits or wisdom did you gain? As a result, you comment about not being wiser (jokingly), but I know that if you dig a bit deeper, there are likely salient points that stand out to you.
That is absolutely true; when embarking on adventures like this, one can expect all kinds of weather. Yet, this is why I love hiking: it makes me stronger, helps me connect with others, and culminates in a rewarding experience—the most amazing views of God’s creation! It’s very kind of you to refer to my transformation from a “hero in waiting” to a “hero.” The remarkable thing is, God still gets the credit for guiding me through this journey! Unfortunately, I’m not as close to my leader friend anymore, even though we can still track each other through “Find My Friends” on our iPhones. Lol
Since that hike, we saw each other several times, and interestingly, we never mentioned that story. For me, it was a great day, and I cherished that growing experience in my life. However, for him, I don’t think it was as enjoyable. At least that’s my impression; why else wouldn’t he have brought it up?
Wisdom – Be slow to speak and quick to listen. Show patience. When someone treats you unkindly, respond with kindness. I believe that God revealed to me what He did for me on the cross. Carrying my friends for 5 miles was very challenging, especially after hiking 10,000 feet to the top of a tough mountain. But as I carried my friend, Jesus spoke to me through the Holy Spirit about how He bore all my sins on that cross and has forgiven me for all my mistakes. It was an honor to carry my leader friend on my back.
Ivan,
In this story, you demonstrated strength in both your physical body (to carry the weight of your friend was indeed a feat) and your character. I wonder which was more challenging – to hold his body or to hold your tongue? I appreciate the way in which the Holy Spirit mentored you. In times of tiredness, I tend to have a harder time listening. I wonder how your leader tells this story now? Is he self-aware enough to recognize his ego?
Thank you for your comment, Mika! In response to your question about which was more challenging, “holding his body or holding my tongue?” I would say it was an honor to do both simultaneously. Here’s what I mean: While I was carrying my leader on my back, the Holy Spirit was working on my heart just as much as He was working in my friend’s heart. Even though it was very challenging to carry my friend, I am SO grateful for Jesus and for His forgiveness in my life for the sins I have committed that He bore on that cross. It was such an honor to carry my rude friend, whose heart I felt was changing at the same time too.