Life in the Ordinary World is boring, unfulfilling, and people there live a soulless, empty existence. Life is directionless, the people are disengaged, and their spirits and energy levels are hitting bottom.
The people despair as they have no outlet or platform to release their creative energies meaningfully.
People don’t sleep well and wake up more tired than before they got in bed.
Here, the Hero does not know his personal potential or calling, and is clueless about how to get out of his predicament.
Plans, if he has any are sketchy and tentative, and don’t seem to work out.
The Hero’s mindset in the Ordinary World reminds me of the story of a dog.
A postman passes a house every day. There was a dog lying on the dirt at the front porch. Everyday the dog makes a whining noise. The postman could tell that the dog was in obvious pain.
One day, the postman could not hold back his curiosity any longer, and he finally asked the owner of the dog what is going on.
The owner replied that the dog is lying on a nail, hence the continuous whining.
The postman then asked the owner why doesn’t the dog walk away from the spot where the nail is.
The owner replied: “Perhaps, it is not painful enough.”
Are we not sometimes like the dog in the story?
Do we sometimes find ourselves stuck in a situation that is causing us pain but stayed on by making excuses about why the situation is bearable?
There is no need to accept and resign to life in the Ordinary World.
The Hero's Journey offers a way to revitalise our spirit, helps us rise above the soul destroying Ordinary World, and makes our lives worth living.
Reminds me of a Chaplin film called "Modern Times". Mundane and routine
ReplyDeleteMay not be the people is directionless, can be they adopt people's vision and align themselves to it so that they can have a goal without much thoughts. They may like the routine and stability in it. This is what they will sacrifice when they venture out.
Alternatively, they do have a goal but they are getting lost in the pursuit of the goal or the goal they are pursuing already outdated.
To me, what is described here is the state of ennui, when one feels that they have reached a plateau but not sure what or where next.
ReplyDelete