Religion has been entrenched- truth versus truth- for thousands of years. Blinded by the details we’ve allowed the arguments to rage on. We focus on debate and conflict because it is what we are used to. Nations squabble like children, backstabbing and in-fighting. You can practically hear the governments squeal as they fight over land. If all the worlds a stage then our players seem to have forgot their audience. It is as if we have forgotten our capacity for honor and compassion, and we’ve all agreed that these traits are the things of myth.
In that spirit we have moved such mythological traits into the realm they belong: modern myths. Our films, television, and books are crowded with heroes who commit great acts of love and compassion. Despite the odd anti-hero, look to the stories being told in the media today. Ironman: a selfish wealthy man risks life and limb to undo the damage he’s done to the world. Pick almost any romantic comedy you want and you’ll find its about miscommunications almost leading to misconnections, when truly our hero and heroine clearly belong together. Spider man can’t date the woman he loves because it will put her in danger. The action star goes to great lengths to protect his fellow man from some impending doom. All of these are acts of love, compassion, and honor, yet we behave as if we are incapable of such acts in the real world.
The archetype ‘action star’ is interesting to explore closer. First element needed to create an action star is mortal danger. Our lives have become so safe and secure that we instantly have respect for those who have come close to death. War veterans, emergency response personnel, and even some athletes are held up as super human heroes that have braved death. We crave these higher stakes to feel as if our actions matter. If you’re NOT going to die today no matter what, then your actions will feel without consequence. The second element necessary is the villain. We are conditioned that all heroes need a villain to conquer. Even if that villain is a volcano and Pierce Brosnan is the hero- there is still a fight to be fought. This example sends us out into the world looking, always, for our own heroes and villains. If you look hard enough you will find these villains everywhere, but the correct response is not a battle as we have been prepared to think. Instead the proper response is understanding. Pause and look into your villains world and try to understand how he could be the hero. If you both still find yourself at an impasse, conflict can still occur with love and respect. Respecting the person you fight against is normally called ‘honor’. True conflict is devoid of hate, and battle serves the purpose of introducing each other to deeper levels of yourself. In this spirit we compete in all sorts of combat with the purpose of knowing your enemy. This activity is usually called a sport.
This concept of me versus the world has been so ingrained in collective consciousness that you will begin to see it everywhere. Elections are split into two sides that do battle against each other in a ‘political arena’. Getting into a good college involves competing against every other applicant. You have to ‘fight’ to ‘get ahead’ at work. Businesses ‘fight’ for markets, and sometimes perform hostile takeovers. Even our language for the world makes it out to be a hostile and dangerous place. It’s pretty clear why people have trouble trusting one another, but when it’s apparent that we are all after the same ultimate goal, it also becomes apparent that we no longer have any reason to distrust each other. All it would take to change the world is a very plural leap of faith in humanity.
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