Maria Lago/Staff Writer
Even though “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell was written 70 years ago, the book’s messages and influence affects each person’s journey through life, according to Robert Walter, the president and executive director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation.
“The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Revisiting Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth” event on Tuesday, Oct. 29 will be presented by Walter, who worked with Campbell since 1979 on several projects.
Walter will go through the hero’s journey philosophy from Campbell’s book.
In the book, a hero feels that something is missing from their culture and they go on a journey to find the missing link. They come back home to heal their people.
“The end of every hero’s journey is not to make the self feel great or heroic, but it’s coming back to be of service to the place that you left,” said Walter. “You are bringing back something that heals them.”
The event seeks to highlight how to understand and value myths and mythology, according to the director of the FIU Study of Spirituality Program, Erin Weston.
“Myths play crucial roles in defining who we are as a people, how we should live our lives, what types of hierarchies exist and why we are here,” said Weston. “By learning about myths from around the world, we can understand various patterns of human thought and learn more about what it means to be human.”
Campbell’s book, which was elected the “100 Best and Most Influential Books Written in English since 1923” by TIME Magazine in 2011, inspired authors and filmmakers, including George Lucas from the Star Wars trilogy and J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter, according to Walter.
These authors were inspired by Campbell’s “monomyth,” or the hero’s journey.
“Other myths and other mythologies may be more particularized to a group, tribe, or a region, but the monomyth is universal,” said Walter.
The event was co-sponsored by the Study of Spirituality Program and is a self-funded initiative of Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.
The “Revisiting Joseph Campbell” event is going to take place at the Chemistry and Physics building, room 197, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For more information about this free event and to register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces-revisiting-joseph-campbell-tickets-70798589487
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