How a simple thing such as taking my one year old nephew out to the school playground follows the " original mythic patterns" laid out by Joseph Campell in the Hero's Journey.
The Hero: Sonny, my little nephew.
The Shadow: His fear - the dogs.
His Ordinary World: The comfort and boredom of his home. Sitting in the living room just watching TV, his dad never takes him and his two sisters out for a walk or to the park to play on the playground.
His Call to Adventure: His uncle, me, the herald and mentor, who announced to take his niece and nephews to the park. They were very excited when they heard this call. I gave him guidance and went on the journey with him.
Crossing the Threshold: This is when he stepped out the house, out of his comfort zone, and was on his way to the school playground. I carried him there.
Refusal of the Call: My little nephew feared dogs. Every time when he heard dogs barked whether he was inside the house or outside, he would turn and look around to find the dogs. His fear of dogs prevented him from walking on the street on his own. So while I took him out to the school playground, I had to carry him because he was afraid to walk on his own. Every time I put him down on the ground, he would say "doggy, doggy" in Hmong and reached up to me to be picked up to the safety of my arms. I tried to get him to walk on his own many times, but I always ended up picking him up again. He was afraid to walk on the ground for fear the dogs would attack him.
Acceptance of the Call: Then when I gave him my metal stick to carry (a stick which I carry in case dogs attack us), he became brave and got the courage to finally walk on his own.
Meeting the Mentor and Receiving a Magical Item: Me who gave him the metal stick, which I intend to use it to whip a dog in case we were attacked by the vicious dogs in the neighborhood.
The Special World: The world and neighborhood outside of his home, full of people and dogs and the school playground.
Approach: This is the stage when were about to go past the the houses where the big dogs resided in backyards. They started barking as soon as you approach those houses. And if you're scared of dogs, then you'll just turn back and not go past them.
Tests, Allies, Enemies: There were two tests - one was to walk through a neighborhood full of barking dogs, and the other was the courage go down the slide. Allies were his four year old sister, eight year old cousin, and couple of friendly kids at the school. Enemies were the vicious neighborhood dogs, the kids who are fighting with him to go up on the slide and a small friendly pet dog he met that he was afraid to touch. With my help and the dog owner's help, he eventually got the courage to pat the dog on the head.
His Ordeal: Half way between his home and the school, there were some big dogs that were locked in the neighbors' backyards. They always barked at people who passed by. He had to face this greatest fear of the barking dogs and walk past them.
Reward: Having survived the ordeal of walking through the neighborhood, he finally arrived at the school and got to play on the playground. The reward was the fun he had came for.
Resurrection: He went through the test of going down the slide. As a child, having the courage to go down the slide is like going through a near death experience, and having survived the experience he was reborn again. Thus, he was purified by this sacrifice. Like indigenous children who to go through some type of tests or rituals when they reach certain age.
The Road Back: Having successfully walked to the school playground and played on the slide - all these fun he could have, he didn't want to return home. But he knew he must as the sun was setting; it was getting dark soon. He now must face his fear of dogs along the way and return to the ordinary world of his home.
Return with the Elixir: The elixir he gained on the journey is the knowledge of the outside world. Having gone to the school and played on the playground, he has gained knowledge of the outside world, overcome his fear of dogs and experienced the the thrill of the playground. He now knows it can be done and gained the courage to walk on his own. He has taken his first step as a toddler to conquer his fear of the unknown - the dogs and the world outside his home.
The Hero: Sonny, my little nephew.
The Shadow: His fear - the dogs.
His Ordinary World: The comfort and boredom of his home. Sitting in the living room just watching TV, his dad never takes him and his two sisters out for a walk or to the park to play on the playground.
His Call to Adventure: His uncle, me, the herald and mentor, who announced to take his niece and nephews to the park. They were very excited when they heard this call. I gave him guidance and went on the journey with him.
Crossing the Threshold: This is when he stepped out the house, out of his comfort zone, and was on his way to the school playground. I carried him there.
Refusal of the Call: My little nephew feared dogs. Every time when he heard dogs barked whether he was inside the house or outside, he would turn and look around to find the dogs. His fear of dogs prevented him from walking on the street on his own. So while I took him out to the school playground, I had to carry him because he was afraid to walk on his own. Every time I put him down on the ground, he would say "doggy, doggy" in Hmong and reached up to me to be picked up to the safety of my arms. I tried to get him to walk on his own many times, but I always ended up picking him up again. He was afraid to walk on the ground for fear the dogs would attack him.
Acceptance of the Call: Then when I gave him my metal stick to carry (a stick which I carry in case dogs attack us), he became brave and got the courage to finally walk on his own.
Meeting the Mentor and Receiving a Magical Item: Me who gave him the metal stick, which I intend to use it to whip a dog in case we were attacked by the vicious dogs in the neighborhood.
The Special World: The world and neighborhood outside of his home, full of people and dogs and the school playground.
Approach: This is the stage when were about to go past the the houses where the big dogs resided in backyards. They started barking as soon as you approach those houses. And if you're scared of dogs, then you'll just turn back and not go past them.
Tests, Allies, Enemies: There were two tests - one was to walk through a neighborhood full of barking dogs, and the other was the courage go down the slide. Allies were his four year old sister, eight year old cousin, and couple of friendly kids at the school. Enemies were the vicious neighborhood dogs, the kids who are fighting with him to go up on the slide and a small friendly pet dog he met that he was afraid to touch. With my help and the dog owner's help, he eventually got the courage to pat the dog on the head.
His Ordeal: Half way between his home and the school, there were some big dogs that were locked in the neighbors' backyards. They always barked at people who passed by. He had to face this greatest fear of the barking dogs and walk past them.
Reward: Having survived the ordeal of walking through the neighborhood, he finally arrived at the school and got to play on the playground. The reward was the fun he had came for.
Resurrection: He went through the test of going down the slide. As a child, having the courage to go down the slide is like going through a near death experience, and having survived the experience he was reborn again. Thus, he was purified by this sacrifice. Like indigenous children who to go through some type of tests or rituals when they reach certain age.
The Road Back: Having successfully walked to the school playground and played on the slide - all these fun he could have, he didn't want to return home. But he knew he must as the sun was setting; it was getting dark soon. He now must face his fear of dogs along the way and return to the ordinary world of his home.
Return with the Elixir: The elixir he gained on the journey is the knowledge of the outside world. Having gone to the school and played on the playground, he has gained knowledge of the outside world, overcome his fear of dogs and experienced the the thrill of the playground. He now knows it can be done and gained the courage to walk on his own. He has taken his first step as a toddler to conquer his fear of the unknown - the dogs and the world outside his home.