Erin,
A major problem with contemporary society which Campbell pointed out is the
fact that most of the world has lost touch with mythology. Before, myths
were used as teaching methods which were consciously or unconsciously
integrated into one's person. But now, mythology has become neglected by
most people, neglected by contemporary society (we get our stories from
sitcoms and reality television), and so we lose direction. "You only gain
something that you lose something"-- in this case, gaining modernity and
quick solutions and giving up knowledge of a collective history. But, I also
find it interesting that people often live their lives according to myths of
which they are completely unconscious. Jung talked about this; he
demonstrated how a man and woman modelled their lives after a Greek myth (I
can't remember exactly what at the moment), never having heard of the myth
before. This is where the collective unconscious comes in; our lives are in
a sense predestined.
How does one go about "creating new myths?" Myths are born out of a culture,
products that simply develop over time. I think they in a way reflect the
culture from which they sprang. Since the survival of a tv show or a novel
depends entirely upon advertisting-saturated consumer opinion, there isn't
much room for new meaningful mythology to blossom. That's why I think there
should be less emphasis on creating new myths and more emphasis on
reconnecting with past myths that may give us better understanding of the
present.
Rasheed
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