{"id":35404,"date":"2024-01-31T19:49:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T03:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35404"},"modified":"2024-01-31T19:49:23","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T03:49:23","slug":"journeys-that-change-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/journeys-that-change-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Journeys that change us"},"content":{"rendered":"

My takeaways from this week\u2019s reading feel complexed. At first, I thought Campbell\u2019s book was a study of the similarities of world religions and I was excited to dive into it. However, while A Hero With A Thousand Faces<\/em> was thought provoking, I bristled at what appeared to be reducing the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus to mythology. This was particularly blatant when Campbell stood by his concept that all religions, mythologies, and folk traditions everywhere teach that a hero had died as a modern man; but as eternal man \u2013 perfected\u2026 he had been reborn.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

When I took the reading out of the context of Christian theology and looked at it from a sociological perspective, I found a richness to harvest. Fundamentally, I see this week\u2019s book as a different approach to the theme from Mining For Gold<\/em>. Whether it be the hero\u2019s journey or the rite of passage for emerging young men in tribal cultures, there were liminal spaces that were uncomfortable or scary and then once a threshold was crossed new understandings, perspectives and even realities existed.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Campbell\u2019s description of a hero\u2019s journey could fit any human life. The very nature of being human is that we journey through life and on the way face adversity. We may get help. It could be dangerous. If we survive, we will be changed. Matthew Winkler in his short, Myths & Monsters: Joseph Campbell and The Hero\u2019s Journey, brought the cycle of the journey even into artistic and pop culture with the story line for the main characters of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games living through the steps of the Hero\u2019s Journey. [3]<\/a><\/p>\n

In the early 2000s I met Henri Landwirth. Initially, all I knew about Henri was that he was a philanthropist who partnered with my husband to help clothe people in need. We became friends and would get together socially with Henri and his wife. But there was more to Henri than met the eye. Once, he asked if we could give him a ride from Orlando to Jacksonville. When we got to the meeting place, we found ourselves in what looked like a miniature fantasy world. The place was Give Kids The World, a nonprofit resort with the mission to serve children with terminal illnesses and their families. They are treated to weeklong, cost-free vacations.[4]<\/a> This happy respite is where Make a Wish and Dreams Come True send children whose dream is to meet Mickey Mouse. Everything in the village was free to the families. The ice cream parlors were all you could eat, and\u00a0 the bowling alley, cinema, and arcade were always open. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Rabbit tucked every child in at night.<\/p>\n

Henri gave us a tour that was delightful, but soon became a heart tug. As we walked, families would approach Henri in tears to thank him for their week. He was gentle with the children and soft spoken to the parents. When we entered the welcome center, we understood. There was a picture of Henri: founder, and champion of the resort.<\/p>\n

We learned a lot about Henri that day, especially on the ride back to Jacksonville. We asked Henri what motivated him to create the village. Then we heard his horrid, tragic story. Henri spent most of his teen years in five different concentration camps during World War II.\u00a0 While there, his parents were killed, he was always hungry, never fully clothed, and thought that he would die every day. Surviving the unconscionable, Henri devoted his life to helping other children who suffered. The tattoo on his arm, usually under a long sleeve shirt, remained as a constant reminder of his journey of hate, resilience, and survival.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Henri is not a savior nor god to worship. Yet after living a journey separated from others, near death and more, he saw life differently.[6]<\/a> He came out on the other side forever changed. His status quo upgraded. He used the horror he survived to do good things. Give Kids the World was just one of many. While he was not THE hero, to the children and families who continue to experience the benefits of his efforts, he was one of many thousands of faces who became heroes to the people they serve.<\/p>\n

Throughout The Hero With A Thousand Faces<\/em>, Campbell pointed out that many of the sacred stories that are held by followers of different religious traditions are similar. Campbell was making the point that so many religions are based on the myths of the same hero who follow the path. I disagree with his conclusion. I don\u2019t see the concept of a hero\u2019s journey as necessarily about religion. Nor do I see his examples compelling to debunked Christianity. Buddha went on a seven-year quest in search for salvation.[7]<\/a> He was not a god but looked for enlightenment. The founder of Sikhism, Nanak, prayed to God, creator, supreme truth. The guru was a teacher, not a savior.[8]<\/a> These two individuals were finding different ways to live their lives. They were not to be worshipped.<\/p>\n

Jesus knew who he was and taught with His own authority, (Matt. 7:28-29 NIV) something that Campbell missed. The fact that Jesus is one of Campbell\u2019s heroes is appropriate in one aspect. Jesus is the ultimate hero.<\/p>\n

I think the value of The Hero With A Thousand Faces is learning about the hero\u2019s journey in other cultures. It could be crossing the threshold through a rite of passage such as birth, coming of age, or death, where\u00a0 all members of a group are somehow impacted. Everyone who lives on this earth has a journey to take. What we do with that journey is what matters. Learning about the hero\u2019s journey and thinking of Henri reminds me to stay aware of my journey. Learning from difficulties can help me grow as a servant leader.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces<\/em> 3rd<\/sup> ed. (Novato: New World Library, 2008), 15.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Joseph Campbell, 6-7.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Matthew Winkler, \u201c What makes a Hero\u201d YouTube <\/em>video, 2019, 4.34.<\/p>\n

libguides.gvsu.edu\/c.php?g=948085&p=686194<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Henri Landwirth and J.P. Hendricks, Gift Of Life <\/em>(np: Henri Landwirth, 1996) 206.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Henri Landwirth (philanthropist), excerpts of conversations with David and Diane Tuttle,\u00a0 2002 \u2013 2005,<\/p>\n

Jacksonville, FL.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Henri Landwirth and J.P. Hendricks, Gift Of Life <\/em>(np: Henri Landwirth, 1996) 13.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> John A. Hutchison, Paths of Faith<\/em> (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969), 111.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> John Hutchison, 193.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My takeaways from this week\u2019s reading feel complexed. At first, I thought Campbell\u2019s book was a study of the similarities of world religions and I was excited to dive into it. However, while A Hero With A Thousand Faces was thought provoking, I bristled at what appeared to be reducing the life, death, resurrection, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"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":[1],"tags":[789],"class_list":["post-35404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-campbell","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35404","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\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35405,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35404\/revisions\/35405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}