Where Loneliness Really Begins |
In 1949, Joseph Campbell listened to the stories humans have always told, stories of rupture and repair, of loss and return. And as he sat with myths and fairy tales, with films and legends, he noticed the same pattern repeating itself time and again (Campbell, 1949). It shimmered in children’s stories about magic and mystery, in films with caped heroes soaring across screens, and in sweeping space operas set among the stars.
Joseph called this pattern the hero’s journey. And no matter how magical or epic the story became, it always started in the same, familiar place: the ordinary world. (Vogler, 2007)
At first glance, the ordinary world seems plain, almost forgettable. It’s the small town before the dragon, the farm house before the road beckons, the suburban home before the unexpected. But it holds more meaning than we realize.
The ordinary world is where life appears orderly and intact. It’s predictable and steady. The rules are clear, so we know how to move through it. And yet… this is also the place we feel the tug of absence. Something essential is missing.
But we can’t quite see it, not yet, because it’s tucked out of sight by our adaptations, our compliance, and our determination to make life work in this world, no matter the cost.
That’s where every hero’s journey begins. And it’s where mine began, too.
From my earliest days in school, my good grades were met with warm smiles from teachers. When I brought them home, they softened the worry in my parents’ eyes. So I told myself: This must be the way to a good life. Then, I gave it everything I had.
It was days spent in classrooms and nights spent with textbooks. The years slipped by........