The Hero Archetype: Spirit is Destiny
Samurai Philosophy
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The Hero is the core and most refined type of human personality. People have been passing on myths and legends for generations which do not entertain insignificant matters. Only essentials are found here, things that people wanted to pass on to their descendants. People have always known that living in the Universe is a struggle. That is why brave warriors, heroes, have always been the main characters of legends, hence, their position as the central and most attuned personality type. Since childhood, people hear innumerable stories of heroes’ lives with sympathy and admiration. This way, they cultivate the necessary personality traits, set goals and priorities to be worthy, to win.
Asgard Attack by T. Berg (print & painting) || All ArtworkThe importance of the heroic epic to our destiny should not be underestimated. The future is a projection of the past; the mentality of a society or individual determines their destiny. People rise to power when they are guided by the heroic spirit. History has proven that people who lacked an extensive heroic mythology remain forever weak. Heroic spirit is the basis of society’s vitality. If a society holds ‘usefulness’ and ‘safety’ of prime importance it is doomed. The way stagnant water becomes a swamp, the dialectics of life teach us that the only viable things are those that are vital and in abundance. Those whose vigor is just enough to strive for safety and self-preservation are doomed to decay and extinction. Adaptation is wisdom for fools, and no state has ever fallen during its heroic age. However, the pig-like, animalistic existence of the masses has always been their undoing. Three generations of degeneration are the longest destiny will allow before it sentences states to death.
Destiny depends on choices. You can either prance around in the filthy puddle of lost humanity and weakness, or you can drink the sweet wine of victory and soar. You start developing only while aspiring to achieve something outstanding. When people abandon the philosophy of courage and cling to the comfortable, safe, well-fed life, they can expect nothing but decay and extinction. We are free to shape our consciousness however we like.
The heroic spirit is a vital source of power and of life itself. Since heroism is the highest manifestation of the human spirit, only heroic personalities give themselves extremely complex tasks and are capable of making breakthroughs. The driving force of Life is concentrated in them and as such are the elite of their society, the ones that make life worth living. Without heroes, people turns into crowds with no will of their own; states can only wait to be swallowed up. Consequently, the vitality of a people is closely linked to its ability to give birth to heroes... read further in the book
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This is part of a chapter from Samurai: Legend by A. R. Berg
