On Becoming an Adult

www.jcf.org
Myth lets you know where you are across the ages of life - at 40 or at 80...
This video is a brief excerpt from interviews filmed with Joseph Campbell shortly before his death in 1987, previously unreleased by the Joseph Campbell Foundation - www.jcf.org

[@93johnk]

I think Goethe said something along the lines of " the more you know, the more doubtful you become. Only he who knows little is sure of his convictions."

[@mohamedhussien5107]

Hey its 2023 ❤

[@jominksimon9296]

Wow❤ 2023

[@fastingcoach9711]

Joseph Campbell wisedom has NO expiry date! Divine

[@bookguitarguy]

A beautiful man, dying of esophageal cancer, exerts himself in spite of being tired and very sick, to share the passion of his life's work with others before his death. THANK YOU JOE, and God bless you-you followed your bliss, and your work lives on!!

[@Duckwriter]

Thank you for reminding us of this detail at the time of this recording.

[@michaelkenna2024]

His enthusiastic bliss became an endless sphere of knowledge, “ ... All I Know Is What I Read In Books 📚....” He passed the baton on.

[@perciousmatter7001]

Chronic stress leads to different kinds of illnesses, being a workaholic or working without resting shouldnt be seen as a good thing, especially if someone is sick. Take a look at this video, talking about chronic stress comes from your environment and where you was raised from your parents will affect who you become as and how you treat yourself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWesfWuNi96Ag9U

[@reginaldinoenchillada3513]

Thank u

[@lukasvilla2657]

@@perciousmatter7001 as soon as I read your comment I knew exactly what video you were suggesting before I clicked it.. Lol. I have listened to hours of Dr. Maté. Love his work. So important.

[@TheRealChrisBenoit]

1:53 - "The mask represents the power that is shaping the society, and has shaped you, and now you are a representative of that power." Damn this man was a prophet.

[@psychobobsweets]

And by today’s standards. He was far ahead of the times.

[@alyssavilla1408]

The way he could so effortlessly string that sentence together. Ugh. What an inspirational mind.

[@The_Great_Beyond]

But actually he is talking about rituals way in the past

[@legendarytoby]

In todays society we need to have more rites of passage. More initiation into adulthood, more guidance in this world. This is why we have so many young adults acting like children and are confused on who they are and what they should do.

[@laurastrobel718]

I agree

[@vidyawitch]

Nathan Toby yes.

[@Maria-pu8wc]

Nathan Toby ... ~ very true

[@taylornauta]

That’s what Freemasonry is for.

[@fkerpants]

@saganist Sadly, it appears the American educational system has turned on its own citizens. Universities have become nothing more than leftist indoctrination machines that are hostile to dissenting views. They're politicized bastions of groupthink and not engines for the dissemination of knowledge. It's depressing and more than just a little concerning.

[@lunavarion]

We as a people need more educators like him.

[@VeReePW]

That’s true

[@meloearth]

What an amazing storyteller. I am honored to hear him speak.

[@skylaellis]

I've never heard of this guy a day in my life until today... Sometimes I Learn new things and I feel like I don't know anything... These are one of those times.

[@Duckwriter]

It never stops, if you catch the bug

[@bookguitarguy]

Humility, honesty and self-awareness are good things. That'll make you a better person. 🙂

[@Duckwriter]

bookguitarguy that’s the idea ;)

[@AstralMarmot]

I hope in the (six years wow!) since you wrote this, you've found time to read The Hero With A Thousand Faces and/or Power of Myth. Campbell has his critics (and rightly so in many cases; see his comment about "simple societies"), but he was the first person in Western culture to stop looking at how folklore/mythologies differed and begin to examine the universal archetypes that bind us together as humans. That contribution to our intellectual repository was and in many ways still is revolutionary.

[@lysechrist1947]

Follow Campbell’s work as well as that of Robert Moore.

[@michaelelliott1212]

Joseph Campbell's memory and depth of knowledge is immensely heroic!

[@desotoguitar]

Joseph Campbell was right on the money and is a good source to listen to when you need to be reminded about ultimate truth.

[@larrycrumbs9219]

desotoguitar or when you need to fall asleep in class because of his boring god damned videos.

[@megavide0]

3:35 "... a psychology of of dependency is developed... a psychology of submission... asking for approval... expecting reproof... [...] how are we going to break out of that psycho bondage into self-responsible authority... courage for what our thoughts are and our life .. this is the problem of killing the infantile ego..."

[@soniag0715]

That part moved me .

[@mandolaa4855]

That part is all the point of adulthood. Independence in everything, especially your thoughts

[@37Dionysos]

You slay the "conscience" that society gives you, and live by YOUR OWN SOUL. "Dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem...." (Walt Whitman)

[@SuccessResourcesAustralia]

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. Joseph Campbell

[@charlesbeaudelair8331]

Don't just follow your bliss. Not in today's world which is so full of artificial 'blisses' that will lead you nowhere but further into delusion. Rather start by following your blisters to find what real bliss is in the first place.

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Campbell later corrected himself, saying he should have said "Follow your blisters"

[@lizziebanyan8468]

The version I heard he says that following your bliss is the most dangerous path you could take.

[@derelict844]

Thanks so much to the Campbell Foundation for posting this! The more of Joe's work that is shared with the world, the better off we will all be.

[@GJSTK50]

"Mature Authority & Independence over Immature Inferiority & Dependency" - What an Honor to listen to The Late & Great Mythologist - "Joseph Campbell..." Gratitude!

[@sbfcapnj]

"You have broken past the image as fact and understand the image as metaphor. And you are to represent what the metaphor stands for." If you are to embark upon a journey that will lead you towards an understanding of our world the depth of which is positively abyssal, here is where you should start.

[@yechielgordon6847]

I came across a Jung book -- which, judging by the checkout history, pretty much nobody else had ever looked in -- in my high school library one day. Then,I came across Joseph Campbell while channel surfing. Came across Watts when I heard him on KGNU Radio, Boulder, where I was volunteering. Eventually, I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing Terrence McKenna, shortly before he died. Like you say: it was like an intellectual dream. Not sure I've ever quite woken up from it.

[@rygills11]

This man's teachings changed my life. I will never look at art, movies, books and life in general the same way ever again. "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."-Joseph Campbell

[@waedjradi]

Never heard of him. This is my first time hearing him. Saw him in my related videos and now I plan on listening to him more. Great storyteller!

[@Jeudaos]

oh man, this is GREAT stuff.

[@stlkngyomom]

Wodinn Try Chris Hedges,Jordan Peterson,Robert Waggoner,Bruce Greyson,Louise Hay,Jeffrey Mishlove,Tom Campbell,Sandra Postel,Gwynne Dyer,Guy McPherson,...

[@ramonalejandrosuare]

Think about the initiation ritual he describes and how it relates to Luke Skywalker's arc in the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas openly admits that Campbell was his major philosophical influence in crafting that story and it shows in how a boy (Luke) fights an elder with a mask who has a godlike appearance (Darth Vader) and eventually triumphs to become an adult Jedi hero.

[@lordofd7111]

You're missing the part where Darth Vader's mask comes off and he is revealed to be not only Luke's elderly father, but just another representative of the power that shapes society. I don't think that the point is that Luke became a Jedi hero - he already became a hero by joining the Rebellion. To become a Jedi is to move beyond heroism and bear the simpler, more daunting responsibility of the power within oneself and behind the social order.

[@kenaultman7499]

I think it's more of a jungian archetypical hero story arc. The hero starts on top of their world. That would be when Luke is younger with Obi Wan, and lives in a very narrow, simple world. Then, there's the fall of the hero, and is usually when their world stops being simple and opens up into a more complicated world/narrative. The hero then has to overcome this through whatever means necessary. That would be when he is training with Yoda. After that, they have to go and face the thing that created the fall. In this case it would be that Vader is his father and asks him to join him on the darkside to rule the galaxy. He even considers doing it. This is the representation of the shadow. After much pain and effort, the world is made simple and stable for the hero once again. To get there, they have to use everything they've learned to overcome it. Which is represented by using the force to blow up the death star, and brings order/safety back to the galaxy for more than just Luke.

[@user-ez5in4ff3u]

He seems like the Richard Feynman of Humanities.

[@GuillermoValleCosmos]

I agree

[@JamesBond-uz2dm]

But not with a New York accent, a Boston accent.

[@Metatron141]

This reminds me of my first time on Acid. I thought I was gonna die but I outlived the fear and moved past the despair and was reborn a new man.

[@endot.symbio7384]

JC rep-re-zent-zent! Thanks for all the reading and thinking JC! 'On the shoulders of this giants' doesn't even begin to explain it. This man is a hero of the entire human race.

[@Knaeben]

3:47 - this is what is poisoning our society so much today. Kids are never allowed to experience anything real or to ever face any trials, so they stay completely dependent forever. It's become a moral horror...

[@namedrop721]

Speak for yourself I know too many kids that have faced horrors. What you’re attempting to describe is the power of self determination and it’s true this is stripped from so many because that’s what makes the society run

[@ngozieze6576]

Thanks so much for uploading this video.

[@AA-kt3qm]

Our society is so devoid of spirit and meaning. I wish there were rituals like that. Some communication of meaning in life. The whole, get a career, move to the city garbage makes me want to die. I'm going to go on an adventure instead.

[@horsemumbler1]

Keenly said. In so saying, you've already taken the first steps of the emergent shaman. I think you may find some tools of worth below: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKStoadrqZmMjLM

[@bartholomewlyons]

I will be selling you services along the way so i can live in comfort, my brother

[@SC-gw8np]

Someone after my own heart. Let’s go on an adventure together ;)

[@llsspp]

Wise choice, seek for yourself and you’ll always find something worth looking for

[@dzajapn]

Initiation rituals in modern society are thougher and last much longer than the spiritual initiations of other societies (like in the New Guinea). All the boy has to do in New Guinea is defeat his father masked as a deity (the father let's him win ofcourse).This leaves him with a sense of strength when in fact it was all pretending. In modern society boys are truly left on their own to go and beat the deity and take its power for their own and find meaning in doing so. This is the way in which boys can truly be proud of their achievements. Also, their achievements are true and not pretending. But unfortunately people don't see any deity in becoming a doctor, or an engineer or learning the craft skill of your father, or mastering any other skill. People think it's just a job, something you have to do to survive, they can't see any power or spirituality in something so mundane. So what I'm saying is that you should be proud of how tough initiation rituals in the modern society are. They don't even tell you that you are being initiated. You are left on your own and if you get through to the other side you are truly a man. It's not much of a trial if every boy gets through. It would be much the same as the "every partacipant gets the medal".

[@jakeelsner2963]

I really liked the baseball player analogy. Through rites of imitation when we are younger, we are able to develop this internal authority within ourselves, which in turn allows us to speak from our souls in the most free manner… which, since a lot of young people don’t seem to experience an initiation ritual, they grow up without the ability to speak freely from their soul. 4:59

[@SeanAubrey]

I have discovered a glorious, lucid gem.

[@Dragon33304]

Thank you for sharing this Joseph Campbell minute-of-wisdom. He and Alan Watts were two of the greatest minds of the 20th century. The more you share the more the world will listen. Peace.

[@tommymcdougall6563]

the 1st two minutes describe Luke and Darth Vader to an absolute tee, I see what you did here Mr. Lucas. Very cool stuff

[@erickadams3265]

Tommy McDougall your aware they were good friends. J.C is responsible for the story or star wars 100% G.L was the visual element.

[@goranhrastovik5364]

@@erickadams3265 J.C is an inspiration..the star wars stoy and creation is by Lucas..don't talk bs

[@monkeyfaceyou]

@@goranhrastovik5364 I think it was so influential this interview series was filmed at Skywalker Ranch

[@maisarah961]

I love you, Campbell 💕💕💕 You have saved my life time and time again. Thank you heaven, for granting us a most beautiful human being.

[@autumnmarlene]

This channel is awesome, thank you so much ❤

[@anthonypape6862]

Joseph Campbell is a national treasure. Everytime I read "The Hero of 1,000 faces I think I'm right about to figure it all out and then poof, it's gone. Feels like Deja Vu. Joseph Campbell on Mythology and Religion and Noam Chomsky on governments, sociology, current events are the authority. They have literally read everything and feed us the cliff notes. Campbell will always be my favorite author.

[@emilyloosli]

He always resonates so strongly--a man in touch with genius.

[@eddiemurphy6178]

I studied him for a semester. He is an Angel.

[@33hegemon]

You know, I've read a number of his books, but this is the first time I have heard his voice!

[@markoblazney6360]

+33hegemon pretty cool dude, huh? +

[@lenakatarinaful]

Wounderfull

[@not2tees]

"I always say that if you're going to go through for your PhD, you're in the Dependency Position till you're 35 or 40, and may Never get out of it. You can judge by the number of footnotes a scholar applies, as to whether he's got authority or is always simply hoping that somebody will feel that he has the Right authorities . . . " The breakthrough into authority is indeed impeded repeatedly for those talented in (cursed by) philosophy. Baseball talent is fortunately different.

[@jasdeepsingh6285]

Please explain again

[@CatherineWilliams01]

lightning from the sky, cracking open the rocks and pouring gold forth! thank you! this is so timely today, and profoundly serendipitious. Next phase of the Hero Journey for me...

[@GreenzXeon]

He is very flamboyant with his gestures. His casual yet pin pointed movements and approach to explaining things with such imagery is quite fascinating. His hand positioning, arm, body posture and re-posturing, along with his facial and eye articulation is expressive of an idea, an opinion, a fact and a sincerity. whew.

[@dwaneyocum1718]

Throughout my life, Campbell has come along at a time just when I needed to hear what he had to say.

[@cowboyofscience7611]

I was first introduced to Joseph Campbell through the Bill Moyers special, back in the 1980's. I had almost forgotten what a great, encyclopedic knowledge this man had at his disposal through his memory. He was one of the most substantive people I've ever heard speak.

[@wiljr8931]

Love this guy, one of the best storyteller I've ever seen. His book The Hero's Journey is a must-read!

[@johnnythreefour2902]

Man, what an intense talker

[@blombergk]

Love him!!!

[@CobainLennon8094]

One of the brightest guys I've ever had the pleasure to read. The Power of Myth will blow your mind with how much he knows about Mythology.

[@TheCosmicSymphony]

I can see a fiery passion in the mans eyes.

[@markoblazney6360]

this guy was very special +

[@hosjev]

A brilliant and insightful man...

[@susandoerr3896]

Mr. Campbell was one of my first teachers outside mainstream religion. I watched this person in high school. PBS back in the 70's.

[@mingonmongo1]

Thank you, and every time I hear Joe describe the rituals in more 'primitive' culrures, I really appreciate just how _impoverished_ our own culture has become.

[@justinakavanagh3058]

thank you for this.

[@Kunal613]

Brilliant interview by moyers I remember when I first saw it in 2003 left a lasting impression

[@jeremiahstith2843]

The world needs more wisdom like this.

[@Maria-pu8wc]

thank you so much for this share

[@leggiegreggie]

I've just watched this video and I recall my son being uppity and disrespectful to me. We ended up rolling around on the ground trying to sort it out as men by fighting. The remarkable event was that I couldn't physically hurt him, my body just filled up with love for him. Neither of us were injured physically. Just a lot of hot words. But he stood up to his father! What a man! This video showed me how it is instinctual for young men to grow up and break with home. I was filled with pride for him when this confrontation happened nearly thirty years ago. This roaring between us shows me the great depths that exist between Son & Father. What I beautiful video! I'm seeing my son tomorrow. What a life that has these instinctual programs buried deep within us that assist him to leave my home and for me to accept him as a man.

[@thomthum2000]

I wish I had a living mentor like Joseph Campbell.

[@VincentCampbell]

God damn. we need this.

[@HigherSofia]

This is extremely powerful.

[@saleemisgod]

His message is still with us.

[@celestialscripture]

God bless your soul, Papa Joe.

[@theforestero]

He's very wise...another fan and student who learned much...

[@moimeme7839]

As an adult you don’t only have to play roles as society wants you to believe, you also have to fullfill your needs wich everybody in this world will tend to make you forget to their advantage

[@FahadShah822]

He had me at Alan Watts. I'm going to read into Joseph Campbell.

[@lyndalonsdale6308]

Fahad Hah8athat's o

[@lyndalonsdale6308]

Fahad Shah h to get your 2ndyearwarranty Anderson

[@earthboundj1337]

Same

[@earthboundj1337]

6 years later

[@MaestroTJS]

Well holy shit, a great youtube recommendation for a change! Subscribed!

[@robinsings]

Speaking the facts again Joe? Great video

[@westinnewman3572]

Such an important thinker/philosopher. He made connections between belief systems that clarified and continue to clarify a richer understanding of human belief and culture.

[@kristagorman]

I'll be the 333rd comment :). Love this video. I've heard Campbell say one reaches maturity when they become their own initiator of their life. Living from one's intuition, inner guidance and deciding from there. Brilliant.

[@betoian]

I guess that a person with real authority is confident enough to listen patiently and completely to anybody that challenges him. And then, exposing calmly his arguments without any doubt. (no violence involved)

[@user-hy2023]

excellent talk, be a man ,wake up! thx to Joseph Campbell!

[@davidadkins4682]

Excellent discussions.

[@BluJean6692]

"...well, the burial isn't as important as the kid thinking he's dead..." may be the best out of context sentence ever spoken

[@richvail7551]

A baseball player with confidence in speech doesn’t equal maturity, most athletes in team sports are usually immature until their careers end and the reality of life hits them square on. I have 2 young sons and I have no ritual planned for them, rather I spend time with them in conversations about life, friends, emotions, money and death. I like telling them about how society has evolved so that they are aware that their present experience is not how things always were nor how they will be. They get to put the puzzle together and live in home where they can freely think and freely talk. I didn’t have that growing up, my sisters had to help me because my parents were not willing to talk about life for whatever reason, nor hang out with us and play. They are now strangers to me that I keep in touch with. I don’t want that for my kids, I want them to know that they are worthy of the respect that they’re earning as they age. I’ll keep you posted.😂😂😂

[@sdustin7986]

Joe always appeared so enthusiastic about his passion for myth. To the end. He followed his bliss.

[@discussdebate]

The Power of Myth! Dated and slow but full of surprising insights!! 6 one hour episodes.

[@jxk7712]

Waiting for my son to breakthrough and wake up, view his past made ready for his future. God Bless

[@QuanLovesGaming]

I learned a lot from this video.

[@MrGF1582]

Joseph Campbell, I discovered after I came to know Bill Moyers... suffice to say Joe is /was a person driven to understand the human condition in all societies and cultures all around the world. The power of understanding gives way to "difference". When one possesses the knowledge of "difference" one can see the beauty in difference and not be "indifferent". Reverance and regard follow understanding.... Joseph gave us all this for us all to explore and understand.

[@jonplaud]

I am currently reading the book to this. First chapter is a definite brain buster. He was a modern philosopher. (Thank you to the movie 13 HOURS for bringing it up)

[@mvrz6]

What is the name of that book?

[@jonplaud]

The Power of Myth

[@jonplaud]

have a link www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+power+of+myth&sprefix=the+power+of+m%2Caps%2C132

[@mvrz6]

Thanks

[@rjkelly34]

his bio is the best.

[@wendellalbertson7182]

He helped me alot. Alot

[@robertrico5091]

It's terribly sad, but I'm afraid the Joseph Campbell Foundation spends more time monitoring KZbin for copyright infringement than it does promoting the wisdom and work of JC himself. Such is capitalism.

[@rug0s0]

Robert Rico my same thoughts it's a real shame thank god there are some torrents with all the videos and lectures, this material must be free to anybody.

[@soul-shaman]

@@rug0s0 Which are the missing lectures from youtube?

[@thomasgrabowski2202]

This is Joseph Campbells work not Politics.

[@Zoo-Wee-Mama-Sq]

@@thomasgrabowski2202 oh ok I didn't kno

[@namdo8958]

@@rug0s0 lmao free to anybody, fuck outta here

[@now001inc]

Amazing content

[@davidmickles5012]

This was the healthy direction that psychology was heading until about 20 something years ago. Things in psychology began to change in favor of a "materialist activist" approach instead of this let's call it "self interpretive" approach - pioneered by masters like Carl Jung. Psychology went from a path of self discovery to a "diagnostic medical industrial" model heavily influenced today by groupthink and political ideology. It was a turning point that has been a catastrophe thus far for human societies across the globe. On the verge at that time of a deeply insightful and creative way of understanding ourselves we opted for "mood altering" medications and "pathology lables" instead - and thus reinforcing our own psycho pathologies as an unintended consequence. Until we return to the path of self discovery we will not even understand what or who we are much less be able to curitively treat our mental and emotional distress and illnesses.

[@cheetahsdimples-1]

He is a very powerful speaker.

[@warmecanic]

Talking to this man would have been enlightening

[@markoblazney6360]

+warmecanic we can still talk to him, in our imagination, or, as he said, our notion of ourselves……. om shanti +

[@alekai2178]

Facing death prompts the child to activate what is repressed within them to overcome that death. What activates is the energy of the adult.

[@johnz8843]

It's called finding YOUR OWN PLACE in your community. The Stoics discuss this too in one of the discourses of Epictetus, in book 1, chapter 2, I believe. It's entitled, "How one can maintain your proper character in all things".

[@judithhitt6358]

Our own self perpetuating control is of utmost importance to remain ultimately free.

[@chinitowon]

"With a little more added" - JC on what he knows. He is/was a true mystic. I KNOW he knows vastly more, knew vastly more than he ever knew, or found out about, in books.

[@vegforlife555]

I listened so intently that I was disappointed when the video ended.

[@qb1quinnobi]

Wonderful!

[@michaeljechon6139]

When the student is ready, the master speaks.

[@tomatenpaprika6323]

ultimately correct

[@dipenchandra4014]

So excited video

[@kant1781hck]

Dear JCF, please make the whole interview available. Charge any amount of money you like for it - but make it available!

[@averytijerina3425]

Beautiful

[@thremstrak1559]

I knew Joseph Campbell while reading the power of myth and I affected from him and his knowledgeable personality. His words were very meaningful and deep. Especially, some sentences in the power of myth had a philosophy in themselves. I interest in Greek and Rome Mythology but after I read Joseph Campbell, I decided to read another myths. Myths are tied up together and If you read one of them, you'll want to read the others. You'll find yourselves. Now, I read two parts of the book and they told about the stories in the bible, I guess I should read the bible. I want to thank Bill Moyers for this programme and book "The Power Of Myth".

[@EternalLaw]

I battled the Gods and the Goddesses, whom I worshiped in fear. As I ripped the masks off their faces, into thin air they disappeared. I wore each of their masks one at a time and each mask gave me a different feeling. With some I felt like a saint or a prophet, while others made me evil and ill. I realized these mask were not mine because none of the masks fit my face properly. The only thing left now was to burn each and every mask of these powerful entities. At the end I was left with a pile of ashes, which I scattered all over my body. Now, neither exist gods, goddesses, nor their masks! - RakAgn

[@brahmaya4355]

***** Simply, from deep inside me. I am Sanatan Dharm. Well, that's my other YT identity.

[@cmatthewwilliams6182]

any personal affirmation is a Mask....personal awakening and personal power is a Mask.....personal , individuated existense is a mask.....there is one true face......any claim to it is a mask

[@Bonivino8]

JC SEEMED A BIT NERVOUS GIVING THIS SPEECH. I FELT HE WAS ILL BUT STILL WANTED TO CONTINUE HIS WORK. THANKS, JOSEPH CAMPBELL FOR YOUR WORK, INSPIRING MANKIND!

[@thomasgrabowski2202]

Everyone should watch this.

[@RODERICKMOLASAR]

Fascinating.

[@FadiZia]

The teacher I wish I had!

[@DionysusAlexanderChrist]

Mythology is in a sense a description of human endeavors, storytellers are beautiful