Mythology Of Misery Analysis

Inscribing the Mythology of Misery How can we profess that we have an advanced culture, when we have become bereft of the essence that makes us human? In our tireless pursuit of progress, critical understanding of the human condition, instilled since antiquity in the form of mythology and ritual, has all but disappeared. In the first chapter of his book, The Power of Myth, comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell explains in an interview with Bill Moyers how this fundamental self-denial has proven to cause multiple ills at the personal and societal levels. We have marginalized mythology and ritual in contemporary society. This tendency results in adversity. Without myths to give context to our lives, consequences arise. We feel unfulfilled

They also help define who we are and what we become at important stages in our lives, such as marriage. These sacred unions between men and women were compulsory for the begetting of children and for the formation of cohesive family units; these societal constructs helped ensure mutual survival and were therefore instrumental in the continuity of our species. Today, although marriage in the traditional sense is still commonplace, it is no longer regarded with reverence. Marriage is also not mandatory within the familial structure. Campbell's observations illustrate the emerging consequences in contemporary society: the collapse of the American family. In the present day, some insist that marriage between couples of the same gender is the prime factor motivating domestic disintegration. However, there is also the belief that the blame instead belongs to our lackadaisical approach to marriage. The latter mirrors Campbell's perspective. In an article entitled “The Breakdown of the Traditional Family: Why Conservative Christians Should Rethink Their Blame Game,” John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Society, explores this

Society does not teach couples the requisite spirituality, and they become stuck in what Campbell describes as the “first stage” of marriage: the producing and raising of children. This causes strife, as couples interpret their union through their children instead of through each other (Campbell 7-8). Rather, when celebrated in the proper context with the correct partner, marriage brings about stability. Stability generates and maintains a resilient family. A resilient family begets a strong society. It is this strength which permits a society to perpetuate itself and to provide the maximal quality of life for its citizens. This allows the conclusion that the lack of respect for marriage threatens