Out of Sync

 “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations" - Charles R. Swindoll


Feeling a little off stride today. Witnessing death is a little unbalancing. I will use this opportunity to regain my equilibrium and focus. The subjects I had planned to write about will happen eventually, but not today. I will just have to roll with it for now.


I find meaning in the fact that I am feeling out of sync after a number of unpleasant coincidences. If they were events that had increased my sense of well being, and joy in being alive, I would say I am really feeling in sync. I guess synchronicity has positive connotations for me most of the time. I will get some good out of a tragic situation, and hope others can as well.

When it comes to maintain focus and direction, keeping a disciplined approach to personal growth, I really admire Joseph Campbell. He is one of my biggest heroes in many ways. When I feel a little out of sync or adrift reading his works or even just thinking about his own story will often help me regain some balance and motivation. He will often inspire me and point me the way I need to move in. So today I was thinking about him a little bit.

What I have always admired more than anything else about Joseph Campbell was his focus and discipline. The story of how he acquire much of his knowledge has always fascinated me more than the knowledge it self. For me it has become sort of a myth, so if my details have gone all screwy, I don't think I really care. Here's the story as I remember it (or should I say create it?)...

After being told his Doctoral Dissertation was a no-go when he wanted to change focus and be more comparative (I forget the details here, not relevant) he moved out into the wilderness (skipping other irrelevant details). This was during the depression when there was no work anyways. He spent the next decade studying the mythology of widely ranging cultures. He divided his days into four four-hour segments. One segment was devoted towards housekeeping and other necessary chores. The other 3 were all devoted to a specific subject. The subject would change over time. withing each 4 hour block one hour was for eating and hygiene. He stuck to this routine for a decade and came out a very wise man indeed. Now I know i simplified big time, and I could easily have everything wrong. I'm pretty sure it's fairly accurate though. Regardless, it's a meaningful myth for myself and they way my psyche works (as I understand it at least).

I could achieve nowhere near the level of discipline JC did, but it motivates me to try a least a little.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. -  Winston Churchill