This is what I have learned.

I have learned that life is myth. Every aspect of our lives can be interpreted as mythological. When we walk through campus in February snowstorms, or late August sunshine, it always seems to be the perfect place to start a new story, a new myth. Myths always start on days like these, ones that seem normal; but every detail of the day is remembered – not as part of the myth, but because of the myth.

                Myth is the precedent behind every action. In other words, every single thing we do, every step we take; every part of our life is driven by the myths of the past. Is there no creativity anymore; has everything been done before, are we just here copying the myths we have forgotten? Our history is what defines us as people, not the history of humanity, but what we have personally experienced. All of our experiences have been thrown into an endlessly growing pile of us. We are all unique, everyone experiences the fun of life in a different way; but if myth is the reason for every action, are we not all taking experiences from the same source?

                We have been reminded that the three basic parts of myth are separation, initiation and return. With all of the complexities of life, this seems rather simplistic to be the basis for all that we know. But there are many ways to interpret all three parts. We all are born. We all live for some unimportant amount of time. We all die. What differs is how we handle it all; what we do with our life. Everyone of has experienced the middle, the initiation, but we have no idea about the other two: separation and return. What were we separated from, and what will our return entail?

                Separation can be a painful experience. Losing something comes with its obvious hardships and consequences – years can be spent mourning over separation, and in certain cases it causes death. Nobody can be separated from the atmosphere, or their brains. Where were we before we came into this world? I can’t answer for everyone, but I remember nothing from that time. Nobody can say whether it was too dark to see; or too bright. We don’t know if it was empty or crowded, warm or cold, we can’t even accurately say that it was nothing. It may have been an absolute utopia. It could just as easily be something beyond nothing; some colorless void of immeasurable loneliness. But we’ve all been separated from that place; whether you want to call it an escape or an exile, none of us are there. We are all here.

                So far as we know, this is the only step of our great personal myth where we can communicate, we can interact and feel. Our entire life has been labeled as one big initiation, according to mythology. We tend to think of initiation as a test; an obstacle that must be crossed to prove ourselves for what we are. We each presented an initiation; be it drinking until you pass out or sticking your hands in a glove full of angry biting ants, these painful experiences have been used to define life, to define what is we are doing here. What are we being initiated for; what experience could be waiting that requires such an intricate initiation – the return.

                We will return. That colorless void of unbounding loneliness will be our last arrival. Whether we choose to think of it as a place worse than hell itself, or a well-deserved paradise, it will be infinite. Nobody knows what it is until we get there, any and every guess has an equal chance of being right and wrong. We will return to the unknown, whether it will be the same or entirely different from what it was before the separation, we will return.

                Live life to the fullest, be the best initiate you can be. Our return will bring us back to what we were originally separated from. Our initiation may or may not be the only time we have to enjoy these experiences, but who wants to take the chance? Pain is only an associate of initiation, not a requirement. Instead of relying on the idea that we will have the afterlife to be who we want, embrace life as if it’s the only chance you have. Be who you are, take risks, gain experience at life; for all we know once we die we just sit in a box in the ground and rot until we become nothing.  Do what you want, live life with no regrets and just enjoy it while it lasts. This is the only time we have on this earth, so make the most of it.

That, anyway, is what I have learned.