We’re all on a journey through life, no matter what field we’re in. This is a journey that has many stages and within that many challenges.
For those of us tied to blockchain, 2018 proved to be a bumpy and in some cases an exceptionally uncomfortable one. We’re all hoping that 2019 brings much better cheer where we see healthy and sustainable growth in this sector.
The Hero With A Thousand Faces was a book published by Joseph Campbell in 1949. In it he told of various story elements that humans around the world shared, even in groups and societies that never had contact with each other. He called this the Monomyth.
This in his mind proved that we have a collective DNA, instincts, hopes, and fears that were passed down from generation to generation since the beginning of time. These were reflected in the way narrative was told, and numerous musicians, artists and storytellers have used Campbell’s work to influence and build their creative output on. In short, it’s a system that mirrors life.
Followers of THWATF or The Hero’s Journey for short include George Lucas, and musicians Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison. It was also the primary narrative foundation for the Playstation 3 game Journey.
What I’ve always found fascinating is the way that this narrative reflects real life, and in our case, the crypto/blockchain arena.
To go deeper, one needs to be aware of the several key stages.
Image credit: http://lissarankin.com/the-heros-journey-of-finding-your-calling
So, let’s break this down. Some of you will have gone further on this journey than others, but hopefully all of you will recognise and identify at least one stage.
Before any of us knew anything about crypto or blockchain we were living in the Ordinary World. This represented our day-to-day existence.
If you are reading this then you've may have already answered The Call to Adventure some time in the past, or are considering answering it now. This is the point where you found out about blockchain technology, through one form or another, whether that was an advert on the metro, or a conversation with somebody who told you about it.
Now, I didn’t get involved in all of this straight away. The sector interested me and I did some further research. I was hesitant as so many people told me it was a scam and there were so many unknowns connected to this world. This represented the (initial) Refusal. Perhaps it was a similar story for you? Doing Your Own Research (D.Y.O.R.) before getting involved also counts as a refusal. It can also lead to the next stage.
The Meeting with The Mentor in my case was discovering Bittylicious, which is a popular FIAT to bitcoin/altcoin gateway in the UK. This represented a straightforward and easy-to-understand way into the world, for someone who at that point knew nothing about it. What was it for you? Was there a particular person or figure that you looked up to for guidance? Reading Cointelligence could for example fit into this or the previous stage, depending on how you look at it.
Crossing the Threshold is when you step out of your ordinary world and into another. For me this represents the moment when I took the plunge and entered the world in 2014, gambling on a few ICOs with bitcoin, most of which had nothing more than a Bitcointalk page. Do you remember the moment when this happened for you?
Tests, Allies, Enemies. So many. Along the way there are constant challenges as to who you should believe, who is legit and who is not. As a result I now have a number of people in my circle who I've never met in person, but whom I trust implicitly. If you have travelled this far has it been the same for you?
Approach. This is the point where the challenges and experiences heighten as you rush towards the greatest possible obstacle in your path. For me, this was the height of the crypto market where multi-million dollar ICOs were launching on a daily basis. At some point in the pit of my stomach I knew we were in a bubble, and that subsequently we were heading towards a crash.
Ordeal, Death, Rebirth. This, from my point of view, is the bear market we currently find ourselves in, and have been for the last nine or so months. So, now at this point we've caught up with the present. The death of the ICO is leading to its rebirth as a security token offering (STO).
Reward, Seizing The Sword. THJ says that through death a great wisdom is learned. This bodes well for a more regulated, less volatile future in the industry, with hopefully no return to the bad, old days.
The Road Back. However, there is one last challenge at this point, where everything can be lost, driven by a yearning for the past. As this is still yet to come, I wonder what form this will this take, and when it will happen?
Resurrection. Thankfully, according to THJ this challenge is defeated, rather quickly. This final temptation is no match for the new environment in which it places itself.
Return With The Elixir. Armed with the knowledge and experience and having let go of the past, a new life awaits full of exciting possibilities. The key point to understand here is that this would not be possible without the previous sacrifice (Ordeal, Death, Rebirth).
Of course, this interpretation can be called subjective, but I believe everyone has experienced their own, unique individual journey within this space and can identify with most, or at least some of the stages that have been highlighted.
Life and all its related parts represents a journey that never ends. With this constant evolution the status quo also keeps changing. So, even when we reach the Return with The Elixir stage, another adventure will inevitably start.
For those of us tied to blockchain, 2018 proved to be a bumpy and in some cases an exceptionally uncomfortable one. We’re all hoping that 2019 brings much better cheer where we see healthy and sustainable growth in this sector.
Are we on the hero's journey?
The Hero With A Thousand Faces was a book published by Joseph Campbell in 1949. In it he told of various story elements that humans around the world shared, even in groups and societies that never had contact with each other. He called this the Monomyth.
This in his mind proved that we have a collective DNA, instincts, hopes, and fears that were passed down from generation to generation since the beginning of time. These were reflected in the way narrative was told, and numerous musicians, artists and storytellers have used Campbell’s work to influence and build their creative output on. In short, it’s a system that mirrors life.
Followers of THWATF or The Hero’s Journey for short include George Lucas, and musicians Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison. It was also the primary narrative foundation for the Playstation 3 game Journey.
What I’ve always found fascinating is the way that this narrative reflects real life, and in our case, the crypto/blockchain arena.
To go deeper, one needs to be aware of the several key stages.
Image credit: http://lissarankin.com/the-heros-journey-of-finding-your-calling
So, let’s break this down. Some of you will have gone further on this journey than others, but hopefully all of you will recognise and identify at least one stage.
The stages of the journey
Before any of us knew anything about crypto or blockchain we were living in the Ordinary World. This represented our day-to-day existence.
If you are reading this then you've may have already answered The Call to Adventure some time in the past, or are considering answering it now. This is the point where you found out about blockchain technology, through one form or another, whether that was an advert on the metro, or a conversation with somebody who told you about it.
Now, I didn’t get involved in all of this straight away. The sector interested me and I did some further research. I was hesitant as so many people told me it was a scam and there were so many unknowns connected to this world. This represented the (initial) Refusal. Perhaps it was a similar story for you? Doing Your Own Research (D.Y.O.R.) before getting involved also counts as a refusal. It can also lead to the next stage.
The Meeting with The Mentor in my case was discovering Bittylicious, which is a popular FIAT to bitcoin/altcoin gateway in the UK. This represented a straightforward and easy-to-understand way into the world, for someone who at that point knew nothing about it. What was it for you? Was there a particular person or figure that you looked up to for guidance? Reading Cointelligence could for example fit into this or the previous stage, depending on how you look at it.
Crossing the Threshold is when you step out of your ordinary world and into another. For me this represents the moment when I took the plunge and entered the world in 2014, gambling on a few ICOs with bitcoin, most of which had nothing more than a Bitcointalk page. Do you remember the moment when this happened for you?
Tests, Allies, Enemies. So many. Along the way there are constant challenges as to who you should believe, who is legit and who is not. As a result I now have a number of people in my circle who I've never met in person, but whom I trust implicitly. If you have travelled this far has it been the same for you?
Approach. This is the point where the challenges and experiences heighten as you rush towards the greatest possible obstacle in your path. For me, this was the height of the crypto market where multi-million dollar ICOs were launching on a daily basis. At some point in the pit of my stomach I knew we were in a bubble, and that subsequently we were heading towards a crash.
Ordeal, Death, Rebirth. This, from my point of view, is the bear market we currently find ourselves in, and have been for the last nine or so months. So, now at this point we've caught up with the present. The death of the ICO is leading to its rebirth as a security token offering (STO).
Reward, Seizing The Sword. THJ says that through death a great wisdom is learned. This bodes well for a more regulated, less volatile future in the industry, with hopefully no return to the bad, old days.
The Road Back. However, there is one last challenge at this point, where everything can be lost, driven by a yearning for the past. As this is still yet to come, I wonder what form this will this take, and when it will happen?
Resurrection. Thankfully, according to THJ this challenge is defeated, rather quickly. This final temptation is no match for the new environment in which it places itself.
Return With The Elixir. Armed with the knowledge and experience and having let go of the past, a new life awaits full of exciting possibilities. The key point to understand here is that this would not be possible without the previous sacrifice (Ordeal, Death, Rebirth).
Of course, this interpretation can be called subjective, but I believe everyone has experienced their own, unique individual journey within this space and can identify with most, or at least some of the stages that have been highlighted.
Life and all its related parts represents a journey that never ends. With this constant evolution the status quo also keeps changing. So, even when we reach the Return with The Elixir stage, another adventure will inevitably start.