Constant change can be one of the hardest elements of life to accept. In times of happiness and success it is the thing we fear and detest the most. In periods of self doubt and failure it offers a hope that allows us to persevere. Without change we would not fear falling; however, without it we could never climb higher.
Life is about the experience not actually about achieving the goals we set. The goals we create are our way of occupying ourselves and allowing us to feel as though we have accomplished something and made an impact. In reality we are all just searching for a way to avoid idleness. Change is the key factor in preventing monotony. It creates the obstacles which we spend much of our time working against and developing our character. For whatever losses we may suffer we are offered opportunities to gain success. This idea affords us hope and allows us to have faith, not in consistency but in a concept that whatever may happen it will lead to an even greater good.
What gives many people a sense of purpose is the attempt to experience all that they can. We find a feeling of fulfillment in understanding new people, learning new skills, seeing new places, and feeling new emotions. The effort to control one’s experiences leads to stress caused by the endeavor to control and ignorance caused by the unchanging surroundings. In this way change is essential to our feeling of fulfillment.
Unfortunately, change’s true role in our lives is often misinterpreted and misrepresented. People have spent much of their lives resisting change without ever realizing that this quality is what we require for a fulfilling life, a life that leaves us with a feeling of action and accomplishment. Tragically, many times it is close to the end of a person’s life when he realizes that his efforts to reverse change have been futile and have actually prevented his moving on towards greater happiness. What may occur even more often, yet is possibly worse, is when one never realizes change’s positive role in life.
The evolution of man’s concept of change is conveyed through Gilgamesh’s story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is introduced as the all powerful ruler of Uruk, two thirds god and one third man. His power is lustful and absolute. “A goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none can withstand his arms…His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of the noble (62).” Gilgamesh treasures this power and supremacy over mankind. This love for power starts Gilgamesh’s search for immortality. While he actively pursues risk and danger to his own life, his fear of death is still very alive. He suppresses this fear with his constant victories and manifestations of power which seem to convey a sense of unbeatable never-ending strength. “…Gilgamesh who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, who killed the watchman of the cedar forest, who overthrew Humbaba that lived in the forest, and killed the lions in the passes of the mountain…(101).”
Despite his victory against Humbaba, Gilgamesh suffers a terrible loss, Enkidu, his lover and companion in battle Gilgamesh’s reaction to Enkidu’s death clearly shows the next step in the evolution of our feelings towards change, resistance. Just like the prophecy of his life, “The father of the gods has given you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting life is not your destiny (70),” Gilgamesh rejects death as an inevitable step in life. “How can I rest, how can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now, that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am afraid of death I will go as best I can to find Utnapishtim whom they call the Faraway, for he has entered the assembly of the gods (97).” Gilgamesh believes that if he can find Utnapishtim, he can learn the path to immortality and avoid facing the fear of death which has realized with the loss of Enkidu.
Utnapishtim’s lesson for Gilgamesh brings Gilgamesh to the final stage of our feelings towards change, acceptance. Utnapishtim has experienced the ability to avoid change and live a life of complete consistency. From this he has learned how undesirable idleness is. His reply to Gilgamesh’s desire for immortality is a lesson of his own suffering due to that very same quality. He states, “There is no permanence (106).” Utnapishtim’s lesson is very similar to the prophecy of Gilgamesh’s life which I mentioned before. As humans we have given up immortality, but in its place we have acquired the ability to gain and to lose, to love and to hate, to do good and to do evil, and achieve many more things. The prophecy states, “He has given you power to bind and to loose, to be the darkness and the light of mankind (70).” Utnapishtim longs to have this ability again and is, in fact, jealous of Gilgamesh. Ultimately Gilgamesh realizes that what makes life worthwhile is not avoiding its end for as long as possible, but knowing that you made the best of the time that you had.
Enkidu undergoes a similar development. The harlot changes Enkidu from a wild beast ignorant of mankind and the idea of mortality to a man who wears clothes to cover his naked body and searches for immortality. However, Enkidu does not come to the stage of resistance until after he realizes he is dieing. This is when the change has shown its negative effects. Enkidu is going to die and leave his lover behind. He laments the change. “When he had cursed the Trapper to his heart’s content he turned on the harlot (90).” However, when Shamash, the sun and god of wisdom, explains to Enkidu that the change caused by the harlot allowed him to gain his companion Gilgamesh and be known throughout the land as a hero, Enkidu reverses his curses on the harlot. Enkidu is enlightened to the positive side of change. With this appreciation he is able to see the success of his life and find meaning in it.
My own life experiences also help to give incite into change’s purpose in our lives. The greatest change of my life has been moving. Greatest, as used in the previous sentence, can mean both the largest and the most positive. Moving took me out of all that I had known for 12 years, which encompassed almost all that I could remember. When I finally realized that I was really being removed from this environment which I had become so adjusted to I was upset. The last few nights in Pepper Pike were very tough. However, as time progressed in Woodbridge, CT I realized how positive the change really was.
I have gained many more friends than I originally had in Pepper Pike. I have also learned a great deal about myself and about understanding other people since I moved. I would like to think that my purpose is to become the best person that I can. If one breaks down what being the best person one can means one realizes it is understanding more types of people, appreciating more ways of life, acquiring new points of views, and strengthening the ability of one’s foresight. How did I get up every morning knowing that everything had changed? I had a hope that tomorrow would be a brighter day. As it turns out, I don’t think I was too wrong in that belief.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
So What's up with Those Hero People?
The idea of a hero has existed since the beginning of literature with its start in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the Akkadian poem Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, two thirds god and one third man. Gilgamesh represents the original definition of a hero. That hero is a descendant of the gods with some inhuman quality that allows him to conquer the strange and symbolic obstacles that he is faced with.
Since the Greek Epics and Myths the character of the hero has evolved. One can see this hero like Indiana Jones running through thousands of poisoned darts, escaping a rolling rock larger than an SUV, and finally keeping ahead of an entire tribe trained in the arts of war. However, in the modern role of a hero even someone like Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old 4 time high school drop out, can be labeled as hero. With such a broad range of characters labeled as heroes one wonders, what do any of these characters have in common?
A modern hero’s story usually follows one of two paths. However, in both the hero is faced with weakness, abandonment, or any other form of adversity which would require a unique sense of personal strength to conquer. Here is where the heroes split. Some of these characters retain their sense of courage, dignity, and individuality throughout the struggle. These heroes are able to conquer many obstacles that at first seem insurmountable, but as these difficulties are finally dealt with the heroes demonstrate the strength of perseverance. Many of these characters survive the conflict to become wiser and stronger than they were before, but this is not a requirement. There are a great number of heroes who die for their ideals such as Russell Casse, the Vietnam veteran pilot and father who destroys the Mother Ship in Independence Day (sure I could have come up with a better example, but who does not love that guy or that movie?).
The other grouping of heroes may fail in the face of the adversity, but only temporarily. Along the struggle they may lose their dignity or their individuality. However, as their story progresses they come back after some life changing event or a sudden moment of realization with a renewed sense of strength and courage that allows them to fight back against the adversity which struck them down. After this they must retain their perseverance and gain ground on improving their life or the lives of others.
So far I have eluded the question which I posed earlier, what do these heroes have in common? Well enough of being a politician. All of these heroes stand for some ideal or some trait that is revered and respected by their culture. For Holden Caulfield, mentioned earlier, it is a search for understanding of the adult world. He is attempting to adjust to the lack of innocence that was present in childhood as many of us have started to and will. Holden never abandons this search and by the end of J.D. Salinger’s novel he is optimistic about the future. He appears to have learned a great deal from the previous Holiday season and is wiser from the experience.
Russell Casse, also mentioned above, stands for self-sacrifice in order to protect his family and prove to his son that he is a hero. His son believed that he was a terrible father and a drunk who could never succeed. However, in his sudden decision to fly directly into the main weapon of the ship he demonstrates a dedication that no other person in the movie exemplifies. The destruction of the mother ship defeats the aliens and the world regains its independence.
Oh and don’t let me forget Indiana Jones. He puts himself in harms way and never allows any obstacle to cause him to back down so that he attain historic artifacts. Jones states that his purpose in doing this is to put these articles where they belong, in a museum. He is fighting for the preservation of ancient cultures and their remnants against a growing indifference of society for knowledge of the past when money is involved.
The specific actions of a hero are hard to define outside of my own culture. However, there appears to be one characteristic shared by every hero I have encountered, self sacrifice. It may not be the entirety of his or her fight against adversity, but giving oneself up to a cause demonstrates a dedication to one’s principles that no other action can achieve.
Now there is also the question of gender in being a hero. If you notice my previous examples are all men. So why aren’t there women? This is not because there is no such thing as a heroine. The lack of women as heroines in literature has much to do with our culture. It has not been until recently in the history of literature that women have been able to take on the hero persona. And because women’s place as heroes depends on culture there are many cultures in which women cannot be heroes.
In our own culture and its influences men have commonly been held as the dominant figures that stand for bravery, courage, and strength. Women, on the other hand, have been the child raisers among other less revered occupations. With this characterization it is only natural that only men will take on the hero qualities. However, within the last century women’s rights and place in our culture and in many other cultures have advanced greatly. Now the women who fought against the gender stereotypes and prejudices like Susan B. Anthony are even more heroic than some of the heroes of the past.
The actual purpose of a hero is also a very interesting topic. As Berthold Brecht stated, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." This idea is also considered in a book I read this summer, Walden Two. Walden Two is B.F. Skinner’s explanation of a how to create a perfect society from his own experiments and theories as well as research and concepts of others. In this novel Frazier, a creator of the Utopian Walden Two community, acts as Skinner’s voice. In an intense discussion with Burris and Castle, a strong skeptic of Utopian societies, Frazier explains his view of the purpose of a hero. The first function is to “supplement a faulty science (Skinner 221).” The hero stands “for a principle or given state of affairs” that in a world without science can only be achieved with his intuition and dedication (Skinner 221). The hero’s second function is “to rally support, to accumulate power (Skinner 222.)” After being questioned by Burris on the emulation of a hero Skinner comments, “We value skill and strength. But we don’t value, and we certainly don’t emphasize, personal triumph. That’s not only unnecessary in a cooperative culture, it’s dangerous (Skinner 222).” Some people may become so obsessed with a certain individual that they are unable to see their own strengths and abilities for their true value because they only focus on the strengths of their hero. A third purpose of a hero is to “misrepresent history… [The historian] uses [the hero] because he has no scientific vocabulary or technique for dealing with the real facts of history…He can’t talk about them, and so he talks about heroes (Skinner 222).”
Skinner is completely against the idea of any specific emulation or worshiping, and to some degree I would agree. It seems unnecessary that one should become obsessed with one figure of history our present time. In fact, as Skinner would state, it is a waste of energy and focus. However, what purpose heroes do serve is to teach courage, bravery, and other positive attributes to those that do not benefit from the perfectly controlled learning environment of Walden Two. In addition, heroes help people gain a basic understanding of historical events when a thorough understanding is not achievable.
It is impossible in the present day to sufficiently expose the entire population of the World to the lessons learned by past generations and the present without the use of heroes. Granted, there is a possibility for over fixation; however, I believe it is much more beneficial to allow this to occur than to insufficiently educate the world the basic essentials of survival and peaceful coexistence. There is also a given that there will be heroes who spread ideas of hatred and intolerance. This predicament, the problem of obsession, and the need for heroes altogether will only be eliminated if we ever achieve a controlled society that allows us to escape this flawed science and that performs the purpose that these heroes presently serve. Until that day, should it ever come, mankind will continue to look towards the outstanding characters in history and literature for hope and inspiration.
PS sorry about the length.....
Since the Greek Epics and Myths the character of the hero has evolved. One can see this hero like Indiana Jones running through thousands of poisoned darts, escaping a rolling rock larger than an SUV, and finally keeping ahead of an entire tribe trained in the arts of war. However, in the modern role of a hero even someone like Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old 4 time high school drop out, can be labeled as hero. With such a broad range of characters labeled as heroes one wonders, what do any of these characters have in common?
A modern hero’s story usually follows one of two paths. However, in both the hero is faced with weakness, abandonment, or any other form of adversity which would require a unique sense of personal strength to conquer. Here is where the heroes split. Some of these characters retain their sense of courage, dignity, and individuality throughout the struggle. These heroes are able to conquer many obstacles that at first seem insurmountable, but as these difficulties are finally dealt with the heroes demonstrate the strength of perseverance. Many of these characters survive the conflict to become wiser and stronger than they were before, but this is not a requirement. There are a great number of heroes who die for their ideals such as Russell Casse, the Vietnam veteran pilot and father who destroys the Mother Ship in Independence Day (sure I could have come up with a better example, but who does not love that guy or that movie?).
The other grouping of heroes may fail in the face of the adversity, but only temporarily. Along the struggle they may lose their dignity or their individuality. However, as their story progresses they come back after some life changing event or a sudden moment of realization with a renewed sense of strength and courage that allows them to fight back against the adversity which struck them down. After this they must retain their perseverance and gain ground on improving their life or the lives of others.
So far I have eluded the question which I posed earlier, what do these heroes have in common? Well enough of being a politician. All of these heroes stand for some ideal or some trait that is revered and respected by their culture. For Holden Caulfield, mentioned earlier, it is a search for understanding of the adult world. He is attempting to adjust to the lack of innocence that was present in childhood as many of us have started to and will. Holden never abandons this search and by the end of J.D. Salinger’s novel he is optimistic about the future. He appears to have learned a great deal from the previous Holiday season and is wiser from the experience.
Russell Casse, also mentioned above, stands for self-sacrifice in order to protect his family and prove to his son that he is a hero. His son believed that he was a terrible father and a drunk who could never succeed. However, in his sudden decision to fly directly into the main weapon of the ship he demonstrates a dedication that no other person in the movie exemplifies. The destruction of the mother ship defeats the aliens and the world regains its independence.
Oh and don’t let me forget Indiana Jones. He puts himself in harms way and never allows any obstacle to cause him to back down so that he attain historic artifacts. Jones states that his purpose in doing this is to put these articles where they belong, in a museum. He is fighting for the preservation of ancient cultures and their remnants against a growing indifference of society for knowledge of the past when money is involved.
The specific actions of a hero are hard to define outside of my own culture. However, there appears to be one characteristic shared by every hero I have encountered, self sacrifice. It may not be the entirety of his or her fight against adversity, but giving oneself up to a cause demonstrates a dedication to one’s principles that no other action can achieve.
Now there is also the question of gender in being a hero. If you notice my previous examples are all men. So why aren’t there women? This is not because there is no such thing as a heroine. The lack of women as heroines in literature has much to do with our culture. It has not been until recently in the history of literature that women have been able to take on the hero persona. And because women’s place as heroes depends on culture there are many cultures in which women cannot be heroes.
In our own culture and its influences men have commonly been held as the dominant figures that stand for bravery, courage, and strength. Women, on the other hand, have been the child raisers among other less revered occupations. With this characterization it is only natural that only men will take on the hero qualities. However, within the last century women’s rights and place in our culture and in many other cultures have advanced greatly. Now the women who fought against the gender stereotypes and prejudices like Susan B. Anthony are even more heroic than some of the heroes of the past.
The actual purpose of a hero is also a very interesting topic. As Berthold Brecht stated, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." This idea is also considered in a book I read this summer, Walden Two. Walden Two is B.F. Skinner’s explanation of a how to create a perfect society from his own experiments and theories as well as research and concepts of others. In this novel Frazier, a creator of the Utopian Walden Two community, acts as Skinner’s voice. In an intense discussion with Burris and Castle, a strong skeptic of Utopian societies, Frazier explains his view of the purpose of a hero. The first function is to “supplement a faulty science (Skinner 221).” The hero stands “for a principle or given state of affairs” that in a world without science can only be achieved with his intuition and dedication (Skinner 221). The hero’s second function is “to rally support, to accumulate power (Skinner 222.)” After being questioned by Burris on the emulation of a hero Skinner comments, “We value skill and strength. But we don’t value, and we certainly don’t emphasize, personal triumph. That’s not only unnecessary in a cooperative culture, it’s dangerous (Skinner 222).” Some people may become so obsessed with a certain individual that they are unable to see their own strengths and abilities for their true value because they only focus on the strengths of their hero. A third purpose of a hero is to “misrepresent history… [The historian] uses [the hero] because he has no scientific vocabulary or technique for dealing with the real facts of history…He can’t talk about them, and so he talks about heroes (Skinner 222).”
Skinner is completely against the idea of any specific emulation or worshiping, and to some degree I would agree. It seems unnecessary that one should become obsessed with one figure of history our present time. In fact, as Skinner would state, it is a waste of energy and focus. However, what purpose heroes do serve is to teach courage, bravery, and other positive attributes to those that do not benefit from the perfectly controlled learning environment of Walden Two. In addition, heroes help people gain a basic understanding of historical events when a thorough understanding is not achievable.
It is impossible in the present day to sufficiently expose the entire population of the World to the lessons learned by past generations and the present without the use of heroes. Granted, there is a possibility for over fixation; however, I believe it is much more beneficial to allow this to occur than to insufficiently educate the world the basic essentials of survival and peaceful coexistence. There is also a given that there will be heroes who spread ideas of hatred and intolerance. This predicament, the problem of obsession, and the need for heroes altogether will only be eliminated if we ever achieve a controlled society that allows us to escape this flawed science and that performs the purpose that these heroes presently serve. Until that day, should it ever come, mankind will continue to look towards the outstanding characters in history and literature for hope and inspiration.
PS sorry about the length.....
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