The short answer is a Hero is born whenever an individual chooses to be a Hero. As far as I’m concerned, any genuine act of courage or selflessness is heroic. A Hero isn’t usually spawned from a single act of heroics, though. It’s really more of a mindset. Being a Hero, or being of quality, requires that one is put into accord with that frequency, or mindset, of “being.” This is actually the same process for any manner of intention or drive. One has an ideal and seeks to embody it through the applied practice of that ideal. Through practice of the ideal, over a period of time, one becomes more and more attuned to that frequency of being. The more attuned you are to the mindset, the more you are the embodiment of that mindset.
The first step on the Hero path is to acknowledge and respond to the call of adventure. The word “Hero,” in Hero path, can be substituted with quality, joyful, blissful, righteous, left-handed, fulfillment and many other words used to describe an individual traversing the highways of their greatest glory and potential. All are called to participate in the adventure. All are invited to gain access to the greatest fulfillment that life has to offer them, which in turn is simultaneously the single greatest good one could ever do for the world as a whole–but it seems too few of us are interested in it. Maybe it’s less about interest and more about courage and tenacity? It’s very difficult to embrace a path that is unknown and untested. Especially when going off the known road can be so risky and even potentially deadly.
I’ve been rereading–listening to the audio book because reading is hard–one of my favorite books, “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell. This is a beautiful book that expertly provides the entire formula of the Hero and what it means to follow that path. If Joe’s book is like the detailed all encompassing esoteric encyclopedia of the Heroe recipe, then “The Alchemist” by Paulo Cohleo is like the instant potatoes version of it. Not less value in any measure or degree, but so much easier to read and digest. Joe explains why the path is there, how long it’s been there, where you might find it, different ways to travel, and what kinds of folks have walked it. And Paulo points you in the general direction with a smile and a wink. I love them both, and I’m eternally grateful for all the guidance their work has offered me.
I was first introduced to Joe’s and Paulo’s books about six years ago. They, along with a few other wonderful authors, namely Robert Persig, inspired me to set out on my Hero path. It did take a little time to really start moving along it to my “personal legend,” a term used by Paulo to describe what the Hero path is for, but before long I started gaining speed and now I have more momentum than I really know what to do with. It’s been about five years since I made the choice to live my adventure, and my path started getting pretty bumpy about three years ago. Despite the bumps on the path and being a little worse for wear, my adventure has only gotten more interesting as it has gone on. The further I go the more I learn and the stronger my feet become. I’ve learned more than a few pretty helpful things along my way, and it’s almost always from talking to those I cross paths with.
As it turns out there are all kinds of heroes out there. My take on Joe’s book is that the defining quality of the Hero is basically just to be more than what mediocrity would allow for. To go beyond the confines of whatever constitutes as a person’s comfort zone, and into the realm of the unknown. It is only by entering the unknown space that an individual will really ever have the proper room to grow. To become a part of something much greater than oneself through devoted service. To be deeply engaged in what brings you joy individually. Usually this even ends up serving the needs of one’s society or community in some way. As infinite beings there are an infinite number of ways that a Hero can manifest, as well as what that individual’s work may involve. For the sake of argument let’s say that nothing is exempt–from hitmen to hedgehog swimsuit designers, anything can be a Hero’s calling–but keep in mind that your calling might not be what you’d expect or even what you want at first.
The truth is only you can know what your calling is, and only you can fulfill the obligations laid out for you by your mindset of being. The real trick is putting oneself in a position to even hear the call to adventure in the first place. For many of us the call has already sounded, yet we were incapable, or unwilling, to answer at the time. And so the call fades and we return to the mediocrity that was either compromised for or thrust upon us. The good news is, it’s never too late to start giving a shit about. What brings you joy? Where is your bliss? What satisfies the divine desires of your heart and soul? That is where the call to your adventure is waiting for your response.
Maybe we aren’t sure where our joy is? Brene Brown is one of my favorite researchers for her work on vulnerability and joy. She explains neatly, and backed up by an exceptional amount of data, that being vulnerable is the clearest path to joy. So if you’re not sure where your joy is, start by looking for where you feel vulnerable or curious. I think it’s easy to sometimes confuse joy with gratification. The truth is anyone could argue for anything if they want or need it to be true, but realistically joyful activities will fill voids, not create them. Looking at porn is an excellent example of an activity that creates a void in one’s self through participation. Producing a feeling of lack, or want, is the whole point of pornography, and it’s the same with gambling and many other self-destructive activities. They are designed to create a need for the thing and then pretend to fill that need as you engage in it while only widening the void.
I’m not trying to speak against self-destructive activities, I self-destruct with the best of them, but there’s no way that these actions will ever produce joy in themselves. Limited self-destruction can be healthy and a lot of fun, but one must have produced a self to destruct in the first place, which requires development in some degree. Joy causes you to lose track of time and to unconsciously develop in many ways. Your expression, imagination, empathy, and quality of consciousness are all developed through joyful acts, and without any considerable effort. This is because joy will effortlessly fill voids, and often ones that seem unrelated to the activities themselves, and it will only ever compel one forward into more joyful experiences. You’re the only one who knows if you’re engaged in joyful activities or pseudo-gratifying ones.
So let’s say you have now heard and answered the call and you are transitioning to, or setting out on that path. I’ve noticed that some of us know exactly who we are, what to do, and have no doubt or concern for the path or its trials whatsoever. But most of us are still trying to figure it out as we go along–myself included. The first thing to keep in mind is, if it hasn’t happened already, shit is probably going to hit the fan at some point, in one way or another. Sometimes this can happen in rather spectacular and truly life shattering ways–that’s kind of what happened to me–but I’d wager that most won’t be put into a position of extreme discomfort for the sake of their Hero path.
Destruction is a part of the creation cycle and sometimes a fresh start is essential. Dealing with the inevitable shit storm is a very important part of the process. For the more graceful among us, this will manifest as little more than a minor inconvenience or obstacle that one simply steps over. For the rest of us, it could require great leaps of faith or incredible lateral movements that could take us so far into the unknown that there is little to no hope of ever returning to our familiar environment. But no matter the consequences of your chosen path, you will be gifted the necessary talent, ability, grace, and resources required for you to succeed. The larger the obstacles, the greater your gifts will be to match it. The greater the difficulty, or need for courage, the more wonderful the reward.
I have spent a fair bit of time learning from a wide variety of authors and teachers, and although they have certainly influenced me, I speak only from my own experience. I set out on my adventure to prove to myself that the Hero path, the pursuit of my personal legend, is the only means of reaching one’s greatest potential and richest fulfillment. If I were not willing to walk my own path what business or right would I have to encourage others to do the same. From my experience, the most important thing to remember is that the Hero path is an ancient one. To walk this path comes with an inordinate amount of protection, guidance, and extremely specific assistance. As Paulo says, “The whole universe conspires in your favor.” I have witnessed this to be completely true. So when everything starts to fall apart, please, don’t panic. It’s coming apart because it was never properly put together in the first place. Trust in your path and process, and just keep moving forward. Eventually the dawn will break on the night’s horizon. The rewards of the journey are well worth the weary road to receive them.
“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” – Joe Campbell