A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. (Joseph Campbell)
Joseph Campbell speaks of the hero’s journey. The heroine leaves on an adventure, encounters challenges and difficulties, overcomes them and then returns home. Perhaps this metaphor can be used for living in the times of COVID. We have left our normal lives, gone on a journey that is both inward, as well as outward. We are encountering many obstacles to a ’normal,’ happy life in separation, in isolation while social distancing. And we all hope that at some point in the future, we will return ‘home’ to a greater physical closeness to our families and friends.
This crisis has provided both dangers and opportunities. We follow protocols, such as wearing masks, frequent hand washing and staying at least 6 feet away from others to protect our health. Many are in danger financially, having been laid off from their jobs. Challenges arise in interpersonal relationships, as those living in the same house spend more and more time close together, sharing space and resources. Differences arise and become bigger somehow in our perceptions.
And yet, the opportunity to have more time to do the things we love has arisen. If we are not working, we can play music, create art, write stories, read more, mediate more etc. The potential for self-improvement and self-fulfillment is enlarged by the opportunity to make choices with what we do with our time. Each of us is responsible for our own adventure during this time.
It takes courage to enter deeply into our inner life. In the quiet, we can hear our inner voice. It can be the guidance from our hearts, or it can be the rerunning around the hamster wheel, deepening and retelling negative stories about our experiences. If we use time to lovingly do spiritual practices, we have the chance to enter serene and peaceful states of being. We can stretch ourselves, asking “the universe to open doors where before there were only walls before us.” (Campbell)
Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging. (Joseph Campbell)
Making a choice to “follow our bliss” as Campbell says, gives us the opportunities to find happiness during this time. If we can look at our fears closely, and find the courage to act and move forward, we can find greater happiness.