| "For when the heart insists on its destiny, resisting the | | | | to be a strong positive force in their lives, and hearing |
| general blandishment, then the agony is great; so too | | | | their stories made me consider my own anti-religious |
| the danger. Forces, however, will have been set in | | | | bias. Perhaps things would have been different if that |
| motion beyond the reckoning of the senses. | | | | bishop had just admitted he had poked me all of those |
| Sequences of events from the corners of the world | | | | years ago. In any case hearing their stories made me |
| will draw gradually together, and miracles of | | | | want to further investigate the link between religion and |
| coincidence bring the inevitable to pass. " -Joseph | | | | joy. |
| Campbell | | | | A wonderful place to start this investigation was |
| When I was about 11 I got poked in the eye by the | | | | examining the life of C.S. Lewis, once a professed |
| local bishop. I knew he did it and he knew he did it, but | | | | atheist, who found himself Surprised by Joy, which is |
| he quickly went back to working the room rather than | | | | the title of the book he wrote about his discovery of |
| acknowledge what he had done. From that day | | | | God and the joy this brought to his life. Lewis is best |
| forward I have been pretty sour on religion, but my | | | | known for his Chronicles of Narnia tales, which many |
| whole life has also been a slow walk back to finding | | | | know is a wonderful set of children's books that uses |
| and exploring the power of the spiritual in my remaining | | | | allegory to tell a tale of spiritual faith. What many |
| time here on earth. | | | | people do not know is that Lewis was a prominent |
| The greatest advisor I've had in this quest has been | | | | man of letters prior to writing these books, and began |
| Joseph Campbell, whose quote is listed above. | | | | writing children's books after having already made his |
| Campbell spent a lifetime exploring the world's religions | | | | reputation as one of the world's most important |
| and especially their myths, and his work is among the | | | | writers. Why focus on children at this point? Perhaps |
| most fascinating and inspiring you will ever read. | | | | Lewis took notice of Jesus' words found in the biblical |
| Campbell's entire philosophy is best summed up by his | | | | passage Matthew 18:1-5, "Truly I tell you, unless you |
| advice to his students to "Follow Your Bliss." Campbell | | | | change and become like children, you will never enter |
| believed that the heaven many religions seek in an | | | | the kingdom of heaven" |
| afterlife is actually happening right here and right now | | | | Are there any words in the Bible that endorse the |
| on earth, and that by following the "bliss" and intuition | | | | power of joy and laughter more than this? This |
| inside of us, wonderful, rapturous adventures are there | | | | certainly is powerful instruction and C.S Lewis seems |
| for the taking. I've certainly found this to be true in my | | | | to have heeded it in his own life. His path to Christianity |
| own life. Campbell described this adventure in life | | | | was spurred on by an intense longing to return to a |
| through something called the "Hero's Journey" which is | | | | sense of "home" which he came to interpret as a |
| a series of steps people move through on the course | | | | desire to be rejoined with his creator in heaven. Lewis |
| of their own adventure, and this Hero's Journey was | | | | spoke of his longing in terms of "tantalizing glimpses" |
| the basis of two of my own books, Barack, Lance, | | | | and "promises never quite fulfilled" Lewis described |
| Oprah, & Rudy: Exploring Joseph Campbell's | | | | observing the beauty in the world and "wanting to be a |
| Hero's Journey in Contemporary American Society | | | | part of it" which is a remarkably interesting idea which |
| & A Life Lived Twice-Elderly Reflections Using | | | | has undertones that also encompass Buddhism, |
| Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. | | | | Hinduism, and even Quantum mechanics. What Lewis |
| In my second book I interviewed 4 extraordinary | | | | seemed to be saying was that we are all made of the |
| elderly people, and each of them talked about being | | | | same energy, but that this energy also has an original |
| guided by a "force" as they moved through life, and | | | | divine source, which is where Christianity may differ |
| each of them thought this force was God who was | | | | slightly from other ways of thinking such as Campbell's, |
| guiding them through this life so they could enjoy an | | | | that understand the energy itself as the divine source. |
| even better one in the next. One of these people was | | | | Whether we define this "guiding force" theistically like |
| a nun, who described the absolute joy she got from | | | | C.S Lewis did, or atheistically like Joseph Campbell did, |
| serving others and therefore serving God, and hearing | | | | following it appears to offer a blueprint for a life filled |
| her talk about her faith was both moving and | | | | with joy. |
| compelling. All of the people I interviewed found religion | | | | |