Modern Mythology Series: Introduction

         

 

                Many people would argue that morality is an innate part of human nature. Because we as a species use reason in addition to instinct, our behaviour is more or less dictated by the morality we feel best integrates us into this world. When we do something "good", we are servicing our morality. Conversely, when we do something "bad" we are ignoring whatever moral rules we operate on.

                I'd like to propose that morality may be something a little more contrived than just a natural part of ourselves. I believe we can forge morality by introducing elements like educators, social groups, environmental pressures, and our own psychological and philosophical reflections. For example, when we watch a show about a meth-cooking family man being pushed to do really shitty things, we are subconsciously analyzing our own morality simultaneously. When Mr. White turns into Heisenberg, the reason the transformation makes us react so strongly is because it is throwing a subtle challenge to the way we would act in those same situations. I would never do that. How could he be so cruel? Etc.

                Stories have a great way of challenging us. Questioning human behaviour in general is necessarily questioning your own. And stories really do have the power to change us because they're also the tool we've been using since we could walk and talk to not only make sense of the world, but also to teach ourselves how to make sense of it. Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Moses, Zeus, Socrates, Horus, etc are stories to us. This is no insult or challenge to their truth or status, just what they are directly to us. No one alive has seen these people/beings. They are stories about people that have been passed on to direct us today. Leaving the religious element out of it, they make up what can be considered to an extent a series of mythologies that are easy to remember, rich, in-depth, wise, and inspiring stories of beings capable of doing extraordinary things. We look up to the protagonists of these stories because they teach us things about ourselves. Inspire us to do and be more.

                From my own experiences on this earth, I've seen a large disconnect from people and the stories they choose to model themselves after. We live such fast-paced and busy lives that it's easy to just go through the motions, never stopping to reflect on what we're doing or why. We just trust that we've developed enough about ourselves up to this point to be a participant of society.

                This is why I love superheroes.

                To me, comic book characters and culture is a modern mythology. They introduce to us characters that are so fast, so strong, so smart, and so powerful that all find themselves incapable of living problem-free lives. This is what keeps them interesting and also where we find them to be useful to us in more than just an entertaining way. The fact that Batman blames himself for something he couldn't have possibly stopped makes him very human to us. Iron-Man's addiction to drugs and alcohol reminds us that even the most bad-ass, on-top-of-the-world people have demons they go home to. Peter Parker still needs to find a way for his broke-ass to pay the rent at the end of the month. And we all have a little Hulk in us, a monster that we unleash when we're pushed to the breaking point. Like Hulk, we also get angry and smash, ruining our own life and the lives around us when we let the beast take over.

                Superheroes are our version of Shakespeare. The media just extends beyond the panels of a comic book. TV shows, movies, graphic novels, toys, lunchboxes, bumper stickers, video games, etc. Comics are all around us and have the potential to reveal our true self to ourselves. At face value, you can grab a bag of popcorn and watch Thor kick some serious ass for two hours. But if you dig deeper, you find the story of a man torn between what his parents expect of him and what he truly wants to do with his life.

                There's a hero out there for you too. One seemingly designed to address the same questions you have about yourself and your own demons. What do I do about my addiction? How do I get motivated to do something with my life? Why am I so alone and isolated? Why should I be good if bad things happen to good people?

                If nothing else, these stories and characters provide ideals we should strive towards. And going forward, I am going to be doing blog posts profiling the more profound and philosophical elements to a number of characters. Maybe I can convince you that these grown men wearing tighty-whitey underwear over their spandex leggings are more than just thug-crushing, flamboyant, 12-year-old boy fantasies.

                Comic books have historically given writers the outlet to make social and political commentaries that no other medium could provide. They are allowed to take creative license with things that no one else dared even talk about. Granted, the internet has broadened our ability to target controversial issues, but the vibrant colours and oversized text boxes from the pages of comic book stories have long addressed the same issues we're only starting to open today. Enjoy the series.