[MD] The Hero's journey

[david buchanan]

Ron quoted Joseph Campbell:

"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. Never the less - and here is a great key to understanding of myth and symbol - the two kingdoms are actually one. The realm of the gods is a forgotton dimension of the world we know. And the exploration of that dimension, either willingly or unwillingly, is the whole sense of the deed of the hero."


dmb says:
Pirsig's central distinction is here too but in symbolic language. The land we know is static quality and that yonder zone or the realm of the gods is DQ. The hero's task - meaning YOUR task - is to venture into this magic kingdom and bring back from it a boon to refresh the ordinary world. If this is taken literally, it's a child's fairytale. If it's read symbolically, it's a recipe for the growth and development of individuals and cultures. It's a picture of psycho-spiritual evolution that is both descriptive and prescriptive. It's an observation and a recommendation. It's very, very ancient advice and it still holds up quite well.