Recently, there has been a new movie theater built near my house. They have been working on it for quite a while. And I've been looking forward to it's completion with great expectation. There aren't many things I enjoy as much as a good movie. Because this new theater is only a five minute walk from my apartment, I can watch movies whenever I want.
Something about being swept away by a the story of a movie is a thrilling yet humbling experience for many. The ancient Greeks new the power of catharsis, and spoke about it at length in many of their discourses. Movies, plays, and stories have been an integral part of human history as long as humans have been around.
Of course, we haven't always been able to watch movies. Before movies, and even before books, people would simply tell stories. Back in the old days, every village would have it's resident story teller, that would be responsible for keeping track of the village history through the telling and retelling of stories.
If you look at many different stories from different cultures, and even from different times, you'll notice something really amazing. A lot of these stories have the same basic overall structure to them. They are usually centered around a character that starts of like a normal person, but has to go through a significant change. In the course of the story, the main character usually makes new friends, and learns how to defeat a new enemy.
This was well documented by mythologist Joseph Campbell, in his book "The Hero With A Thousand Faces." He studied mythology from around the world and found many common elements throughout. It's no wonder that movies today are so popular.
Whether you are studying ancient mythology, or simply spending an afternoon at your local movie theater, never underestimate the power of the movie to entertain and give you guidance on some of life's most difficult challenges.
Something about being swept away by a the story of a movie is a thrilling yet humbling experience for many. The ancient Greeks new the power of catharsis, and spoke about it at length in many of their discourses. Movies, plays, and stories have been an integral part of human history as long as humans have been around.
Of course, we haven't always been able to watch movies. Before movies, and even before books, people would simply tell stories. Back in the old days, every village would have it's resident story teller, that would be responsible for keeping track of the village history through the telling and retelling of stories.
If you look at many different stories from different cultures, and even from different times, you'll notice something really amazing. A lot of these stories have the same basic overall structure to them. They are usually centered around a character that starts of like a normal person, but has to go through a significant change. In the course of the story, the main character usually makes new friends, and learns how to defeat a new enemy.
This was well documented by mythologist Joseph Campbell, in his book "The Hero With A Thousand Faces." He studied mythology from around the world and found many common elements throughout. It's no wonder that movies today are so popular.
Whether you are studying ancient mythology, or simply spending an afternoon at your local movie theater, never underestimate the power of the movie to entertain and give you guidance on some of life's most difficult challenges.
No comments:
Post a Comment