{"id":30715,"date":"2023-02-02T14:22:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T22:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30715"},"modified":"2023-02-03T07:56:12","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T15:56:12","slug":"my-favorite-modern-day-myth-superman-spoiler-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/my-favorite-modern-day-myth-superman-spoiler-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"My Favorite Modern Day Myth. Superman!! Spoiler Alert!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wow. Where to begin with Joseph Campbell\u2019s, The Hero With A Thousand Faces? <\/em>This is one of those books that has been on my radar for years after reading The Power of Myth<\/em>, but I never quite got around to reading this one. It is dense, complex, and pulls together multiple fields of study to help make sense of the human experience by examining large amounts of cultural mythologies.<\/p>\n

While reading through the hero\u2019s journey I couldn\u2019t help but picture my all-time favorite modern day myth, Superman. As I went through the chapters I could map out most of those pivotal checkpoints, Campbell mentions, onto the Man of Steel (pictured above).<\/p>\n

I began to really appreciate Superman\u2019s character while watching a show called Smallville <\/em>on the CW while in high school. Then it really kicked up a notch when Zack Synder developed a version of the character that was grounded, complex, and unconventional. I realize some people have no clue about these films or its director, and according to Rotten Tomatoes, some people don’t like them at all.<\/p>\n

Not me. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman<\/strong>, and Zack Synder\u2019s Justice League<\/strong> are my favorite movies. They have mythology, philosophy, spiritual parallels, and of course, amazing action.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. It sounds crazy, but this contemporary mythology about an alien from another planet, who can fly, and shoot lasers from his eyes speaks to me on a deep level. Yes. I\u2019m a nerd.<\/p>\n

Joseph Campbell claims, \u201cAnd so, to grasp the full value of the mythological figures that have come down to us, we must understand that they are not only symptoms of the unconscious (as indeed are all human thoughts and acts) but also controlled and intended statements of certain spiritual principles, which have remained as constant throughout the course of human history as the form and nervous structure of the human physique itself.\u201d [1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Zack Synder, the director of these films, has admitted that his version of Superman is an archetype of Christ. There are Christ like images, parallels, and metaphors scattered throughout his trilogy. Someone on social media asked why Batman, with all his technology, made a Kryptonite spear to kill Superman? This image of a spear piercing Jesus was the director\u2019s response.<\/p>\n

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Spoiler alert. These movies take the audience through the life, death, and resurrection of Clark Kent (Superman). Sound familiar? Which brings us to the idea surrounding the quote mentioned above from Campbell.<\/p>\n

Mythological figures and narratives are excellent vehicles to carry and convey spiritual principles.<\/p>\n

While reading this book, it becomes clear that for Campbell, mythologies are effective vehicles for cultures to convey universal struggles and spiritual truths for those inside (sometimes outside) their communities and later generations. According to Joseph, the peculiar thing about myths from around the world, when compared, is the common heroic formula that emerges.<\/p>\n

“The standard parts of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation-initiation-return<\/em>: which might be named the nuclear unit of monolith.\u201d [2]<\/a><\/p>\n

I want to focus more on the return<\/em>. The ultimate end game for a hero isn\u2019t to just defeat the monster and live happily ever after, but to allow the uncomfortable thresholds, unfamiliar territories, struggles, temptations, and trials to shape them into the best versions of themselves for the sake of others.<\/em><\/p>\n

In Man of Steel, Superman is guided by his adopted parents and biological Father (Jor-El). They continually remind him that he can be a symbol of hope for earth and a light that inspires humanity toward good (once again, sound familiar). The end of the hero\u2019s journey, depicted in Campbell\u2019s diagram, has \u201cElixir\u201d as the culmination before the returning back to \u201cnormal life\u201d. The hero\u2019s journey and struggle allows them to bring something healing, useful, and life-giving back to his or her world.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Campbell, sharing the story about Buddha being encouraged to share his newfound wisdom with others, says, \u201cThe Buddha was thus persuaded to proclaim the path. And he went back into the cities of men where he moved among the citizens of the world, bestowing the inestimable boon of the knowledge of the Way.\u201d [4]<\/a> \u00a0This same principle is true as Moses returns with the law from Mount Sinai. In the Jewish narratives Moses undergoes multiple trials and hurdles that ultimately benefits and sets apart an emerging nation.<\/p>\n

When we investigate the Gospels we read how Jesus grew in favor with God and man, experienced temptations in the wilderness, was full of the Spirit, was challenged by religious and political figures, was guided by his Father, was misunderstood and misperceived, found allies in unexpected places, brought healing to those who needed it, accepted those who were excluded, was rejected and betrayed, was ministered to by angels, was crucified, then resurrected.\u00a0 Interestingly, throughout these narratives, Jesus repeatedly says \u201cFollow me\u201d.\u00a0 Uh oh.<\/p>\n

To be clear, I don\u2019t believe \u201cfollowing Jesus\u201d means mimicking Jesus\u2019 life in every detail since he did live in first century Palestine, but I believe he embodied a way for us to live. He also provided a Spirit for us to follow in the 21st century, which I think plays out differently in each one of our lives and contexts. When it comes to hero’s, societies are much more inclined to admire, marvel, and worship these individuals than attempt to follow in their footsteps. I know I\u2019m guilty. It\u2019s way easier for me to sing a song, share a verse, or ascribe to a doctrine then step through one of those uncomfortable spiritual, missional, or psychological thresholds that might move me into the next stage of my own \u201chero\u2019s journey\u201d, even when I know deep down it is for the sake of others.<\/p>\n

I know I can\u2019t fly, bend steel, see through walls, or move at the speed of light, but something about the mythological figure, Superman (who symbolizes my ultimate hero), inspires me to step across thresholds, embrace challenges, and accept the call that carries with it struggles and metaphorical deaths of various kinds for the sake of others.<\/p>\n

All three of these movies are on HBO Max. You’re Welcome!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Campbell, Joseph.\u00a0The Hero with a Thousand Faces<\/em>, (Novato, CA: New World Library, 1949), 220.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 23.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 210.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wow. Where to begin with Joseph Campbell\u2019s, The Hero With A Thousand Faces? This is one of those books that has been on my radar for years after reading The Power of Myth, but I never quite got around to reading this one. It is dense, complex, and pulls together multiple fields of study to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2552,2578,2577],"class_list":["post-30715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02-campbell","tag-mythology","tag-superman","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30715"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30775,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30715\/revisions\/30775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}