"Myths to Live By" is one of those books which makes me wish I did not have to assign a star rating. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. 15 Myths About Life We Should All Stop Believing. The most interesting talks were "The Importance of Rites," "The Confrontation of East and West in Religion," and (surprisingly) "Schizophrenia--the Inward Journey." One of the first comparative religion texts I ever read. The Autobiography of Malcolm X enshrined its protagonist’s place in American history. I know I'm in the minority (at least review-wise) in not really liking it, but I couldn’t get past the author's condescending attitude toward all people who truly believe in the literal teachings of their religion. The difference—to put it sharply—is equivalent simply to that between a diver who can swim and one who cannot. In Myths to Live By, Joseph Campbell explores the enduring power of the universal myths that influence our lives daily and examines the myth-making process from the primitive past to the immediate present, retuning always to the source from which all mythology springs: the creative imagination. To me it was all or nothing, and as anyone who really delves into any Christian religion will quickly learn there are glaring contradictions that quickly become impossible to ignore. And this cannot be achieved by enacting and responding to any general masquerade of fixed roles.”, “The LSD phenomenon, on the other hand, is—to me at least—more interesting. When I arrived at p. 155, wherein he stated that the 'copter pilots (of that era) in Vietnam flew in & then flew out other soldiers from the ground as an act motivated by nothing other than pure love, I clearly remembered why I gave up on Mr. Campbell in the past. Premiering on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 7pm ET and available to view through January 1.. He doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Christianity - a religion whose central text is a “nursery tale of disobedience and its punishment, inculcating an attitude of dependency, fear, and respectful devotion, such as might be thought appropriate for a child in relation to a parent... the Buddhist teaching, in contrast, is for self-responsible adults.” Certainly provocative! I’ve included some representative passages below. Joseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. There is a single definition of success. By Aram Goudsouzian | December 10, 2015. Box 1836New York, New York 10026. If myth accomplishes only one thing, it is to expose human beings as multidimensional creatures. Eenvoudig bestellen. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! But what, then, is the difference? If that sounds vague, it's because the book's twelve lectures cover serious ground. Myths are a way of explaining the cosmos, the origin of life and Man's relationship with their environment; they play a cohesive role in society. Or is it better for reading? Campbell's thesis is that mythology plays a more important role in our lives than we give it credit for - by mythology, I mean religion too. The aim of individuation requires that one should find and then learn to live out of one’s own center, in control of one’s for and against. Can we use myths to help relieve our modern anxiety, or do they help foster it? He actually says that anyone with at least a kindergarten education can't possibly believe that the events depicted in religions (i.e. The paradigm I was operating under focused on taking everything literally. I will definitely be reading more of Campbell, and I suggest anyone with even a passing interest in religion, mythology, or psychology give him a read as well. 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