Follow your bliss

Last night before bed, I picked up Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth and was re-reading the chapter on a Hero's Journey. I wasn't so much interested in the traditional notion of the Hero going on an (physical) adventure, overcoming some obstacle, etc etc. I was more interested in the other aspect of a hero journey that he talked about that focuses on the spiritual quest..the idea that when one chooses to stop thinking or doing what is "normal" and undergoes a change or seeks out some new way of thinking/doing and chooses to come back transformed. (You can see how this plays out in psychotherapy for example -- yeah, I know, but it's illustrative).

I tend more toward secular humanism or unitarian universalism when I do that BeliefNet survey. As such, I like to look towards other sources (like Campbell or a poem or existential philosophers or nature or science) for inspiration when it comes to the spiritual side of things. I'm coming to a major turning point in my life when my job ends in Dec and I'm thinking about what I need to do next...and although some of the focus is on the material (i.e. how to pay the bills), I find myself mainly focused on the intangibles (i.e. happiness, fulfillment). And I think that those are very self-oriented and I had always thought you had to pursue them in an egocentric manner (i.e. what can I do to make myself happy?). However, I am beginning to think that the answer, for me, is going to be found elsewhere, through more altruistic endeavors. I'm not even sure how that translates as a question.

So part of what I am preparing to "do" is overcome the daily grind of our Western capitalistic/consumerism model (which is focused soley on the self, ultimately). I think we get so caught up in pushing papers, looking out for #1, distracting ourselves from real challenge that we get complacent. We go from day to day mostly submerged in our own little worlds, thinking about what's coming next; somewhere along the line, we get lost or lose touch with the fundamental. I have to search for answers from a very different perspective. I've had glimpses of this from time to time, moments of understanding, but it's hard to maintain and hold on to them day-to-day. So I'm going out looking for that understanding, I'm just not sure how to get there or where to go. Hence, the upcoming journey.

But enough about me and my crazy talk, where's your bliss?