"Lazima ujifunze kutambua kina chako mwenyewe."
Mnamo 1985, mwanahekaya na mwandishi Joseph John Campbell (Machi 26, 1904–Oktoba 30, 1987) aliketi pamoja na mhojiwaji mashuhuri na mwanzilishi wa wazo Bill Moyers kwa mazungumzo marefu katika Ranchi ya George Lucas ya Skywalker huko California, ambayo iliendelea mwaka uliofuata katika Jumba la Makumbusho la Marekani la Historia ya Asili huko New York. Saa 24 zilizosababisha za video mbichi zilihaririwa hadi vipindi sita vya saa moja na kutangazwa kwenye PBS mwaka wa 1988, muda mfupi baada ya kifo cha Campbell, katika kile kilichokuja kuwa moja ya mfululizo maarufu zaidi katika historia ya televisheni ya umma.
Lakini Moyers na timu ya PBS waliona kuwa mazungumzo ambayo hayajahaririwa, robo tatu ambayo hayakufanikiwa katika utayarishaji wa televisheni, yalikuwa na vitu vingi sana hivi kwamba yalistahili kuhifadhiwa na kuzingatiwa na umma. Muda mfupi baada ya utangazaji, nakala kamili ilichapishwa kama Nguvu ya Hadithi ( maktaba ya umma ) - mjadala wa mwelekeo wa maoni ya Campbell juu ya kiroho, archetypes ya kisaikolojia, hadithi za kitamaduni, na mythology ya kujitegemea. Kitabu hiki si chochote pungufu ya maandiko ya kilimwengu - mfululizo wa hekima juu ya uzoefu wa mwanadamu katika kanuni ya kazi bora adimu kama vile majarida ya Thoreau, daftari za Simone Weil, Barua za Rilke kwa Mshairi mchanga , naPilgrim ya Annie Dillard huko Tinker Creek .
Kama Moyers anavyobainisha katika utangulizi, Campbell aliona kama kosa kubwa zaidi la binadamu "dhambi ya kutojua, kutokuwa macho, kutokuwa macho kabisa." Hii, labda, ndiyo sababu sehemu ya kuthawabisha zaidi ya mazungumzo inahusika na tamko ambalo limekuja kujumuisha falsafa ya Campbell juu ya maisha: "Fuata furaha yako." Miongo kadhaa kabla ya dhuluma kubwa ya usawa wa kazi/maisha kufikia kilele chake cha kisasa, Campbell aliweka sikio la huruma kwa kilio cha roho na kutambuliwa kwa uzuri na usahihi mkubwa mzizi wa kutoridhika kwetu. Anamwambia Moyers:
Ikiwa unafuata furaha yako, unajiweka kwenye aina ya wimbo ambao umekuwa hapo wakati wote, unakungoja, na maisha ambayo unapaswa kuishi ndiyo unayoishi. Popote ulipo - ikiwa unafuata furaha yako, unafurahia kiburudisho hicho, maisha hayo ndani yako, wakati wote.
Kutambua furaha ya mtu, Campbell anasema, inahitaji kile anachoita "nafasi takatifu" - nafasi ya kutafakari bila kukatizwa na kazi ya ubunifu ya haraka. Mbali na wazo la fumbo, hili ni jambo ambalo wasanii na waandishi wengi wametekeleza kwa vitendo kwa njia ya matambiko yao ya kipekee ya nafasi ya kazi , na vilevile kitu ambacho sayansi ya utambuzi imeangazia katika kuchunguza saikolojia ya utaratibu kamili wa kila siku . Lakini Campbell anaona nyuma ya mila ya vitendo ya ubunifu na ndani ya vichocheo vya kina vya kiakili na kiroho - hitaji hilo kubwa la "kituo cha furaha" ambacho tunaweza kujikita ndani yake:
[Nafasi takatifu] ni hitaji la lazima kwa mtu yeyote leo. Ni lazima uwe na chumba, au saa fulani hivi kwa siku, ambapo hujui kilichokuwa kwenye magazeti asubuhi ile, hujui marafiki zako ni akina nani, hujui una deni gani kwa mtu yeyote, hujui mtu yeyote ana deni gani kwako. Hapa ni mahali ambapo unaweza kupata uzoefu na kujidhihirisha jinsi ulivyo na vile unavyoweza kuwa. Hapa ni mahali pa incubation ya ubunifu. Mara ya kwanza unaweza kupata kwamba hakuna kinachotokea huko. Lakini ikiwa una mahali patakatifu na kuitumia, kitu hatimaye kitatokea.
[…]
Maisha yetu yamekuwa ya kiuchumi na ya vitendo katika mwelekeo wake kwamba, kadiri unavyozeeka, madai ya wakati ulio juu yako ni makubwa sana, ni ngumu sana kujua ni kuzimu uliko, au ni nini ulichokusudia. Daima unafanya kitu ambacho kinahitajika kwako. Kituo chako cha furaha kiko wapi? Inabidi ujaribu kuipata.
Karne mbili baada ya Kierkegaard kuonya dhidi yawoga wa umati wa watu , Campbell anabisha kwamba mara nyingi tunapoteza njia yetu kuelekea kituo chetu cha furaha kwani fikra za jamii zinazozuia mafanikio zinatushinikiza katika shughuli zisizo za kufikiria na zisizo salama :
Ni sifa ya demokrasia kwamba utawala wa wengi unaeleweka kuwa na ufanisi sio tu katika siasa lakini pia katika kufikiri. Katika kufikiri, bila shaka, wengi daima ni makosa.
[…]
Kazi ya wengi kuhusiana na roho ni kujaribu kusikiliza na kumfungulia mtu ambaye amepata uzoefu zaidi ya ule wa chakula, malazi, uzao, na utajiri.
Mchoro kutoka kwa 'Herman na Rosie' na Gus Gordon.
Kufungua kwa vipimo hivyo vya maana zaidi vya furaha, Campbell anasisitiza, ni suala la kuruhusu maisha yako kuzungumza :
Tunakuwa na matukio kila wakati ambayo wakati fulani yanaweza kutoa hisia fulani ya hili, angalizo kidogo la mahali furaha yako ilipo. Inyakue. Hakuna mtu anayeweza kukuambia nini kitakuwa. Unapaswa kujifunza kutambua kina chako mwenyewe.
Katika hali inayotukumbusha tafakari nzuri ya Mark Strand kuhusu kazi ya mshairi ya kutoa ushahidi kwa ulimwengu , Campbell anaelekeza kwa washairi kuwa wasikilizaji makini zaidi wa lugha ya furaha:
Washairi ni wale ambao wametengeneza taaluma na mtindo wa maisha wa kuwasiliana na raha zao. Watu wengi wanahusika na mambo mengine. Wanajihusisha katika shughuli za kiuchumi na kisiasa, au kuandikishwa katika vita ambavyo sivyo wanavyopenda, na inaweza kuwa vigumu kushikilia kitovu hiki chini ya hali hizo. Hiyo ni mbinu kila mmoja anatakiwa ajipange kwa namna fulani.
Lakini watu wengi wanaoishi katika eneo hilo la kile kinachoweza kuitwa wasiwasi wa hapa na pale wana uwezo ambao unangojea kuamshwa ili kuhamia uwanja huu mwingine. Naijua, nimeiona ikitokea kwa wanafunzi.
Akitazama nyuma jinsi alivyofikia wazo hili la kutafuta raha ya mtu, Campbell anagusia tofauti kubwa kati ya imani ya kidini na kiroho cha kilimwengu:
Nilikuja kwenye wazo hili la furaha kwa sababu katika Sanskrit, ambayo ni lugha kuu ya kiroho ya ulimwengu, kuna maneno matatu ambayo yanawakilisha ukingo, mahali pa kuruka kwa bahari ya kuvuka: Sat, Chit, Ananda. Neno "Sat" linamaanisha kuwa. "Chit" inamaanisha fahamu. "Ananda" maana yake ni furaha au unyakuo. Nikawaza, "Sijui kama fahamu zangu ni fahamu sahihi au la; sijui kama ninachojua juu ya utu wangu ni utu wangu sahihi au la; lakini najua unyakuo wangu ulipo. Kwa hivyo wacha nishikilie kunyakuliwa, na hiyo itaniletea fahamu zangu na uzima wangu." Nadhani ilifanya kazi.
[…]
Watu wa kidini wanatuambia kwamba hakika hatutapata raha hadi tufe na kwenda mbinguni. Lakini ninaamini kuwa na uzoefu huu uwezavyo wakati ungali hai.
[…]
Ikiwa unafuata furaha yako unajiweka kwenye aina ya wimbo ambao umekuwa hapo wakati wote, unakungoja, na maisha ambayo unapaswa kuishi ndiyo unayoishi. Unapoona hivyo, unaanza kukutana na watu ambao wako kwenye uwanja wa furaha yako, na wanakufungulia milango. Ninasema, fuata furaha yako na usiogope, na milango itafunguka mahali ambapo hukujua watakuwa.
Mchoro kutoka 'The Well of Being' na Jean Pierre Weill.
Sehemu ya kusikitisha zaidi lakini muhimu ya kupata furaha yako, Campbell anasema, ni kipengele cha kutokuwa na uhakika - nia ya, kwa maneno ya milele ya Rilke, "kuishi maswali" badala ya kufikia majibu tayari:
Matukio haya ni malipo yake yenyewe - lakini ni hatari, yakiwa na uwezekano hasi na chanya, yote ambayo hayawezi kudhibitiwa. Tunafuata njia zetu wenyewe, si za baba zetu au za mama zetu… Maisha yanaweza kukauka kwa sababu hujaenda kwenye shughuli yako mwenyewe.
[…]
Kuna kitu ndani yako ambacho kinajua ukiwa katikati, kinachojua unapokuwa kwenye boriti au nje ya boriti. Na ikiwa utatoka kwenye boriti ili kupata pesa, umepoteza maisha yako. Na ikiwa unakaa katikati na hupati pesa yoyote, bado una furaha yako.




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3 PAST RESPONSES
An abrasion persist in the cradle of essence; you've the constant healing in the ability to embrace all that is real, which pertains to pain, pleasure, hurt, comfort, instability, and uncertainty.
LOVE, LIVE, and flourish unto the beautiful flower you are! Peace & tranquility can only be measured through individualism. I may claim you; a stranger, as my friend, because I know - no stranger, but if you fail to accept my invitation? You may have killed the life opportunity.
The answer is quite simple, but terribly complex:
Rise with the sun happy & content, lay with the sunset happy and content; life is everything between. There is NO schedule! We are only a product of our own state of mindfulness.
Love on,
Inner Bliss and the Journey of the Hero
We can choose to live in rapture,
that is not out there in some place or person.
We don't have to go somewhere or have something or someone.
It is here. It is here. It is here.
A shift in consciousness is all it takes.
Eternity is a dimension of here and now.
The divine lives within you.
Live from your own center.
Your real duty is to go away from the community
to find your bliss.
On the dragon there are many scales.
Everyone of them says "Thou Shalt."
Kill the dragon "Thou Shalt."
When one has killed that dragon,
one has become The Child.
Breaking out is following your bliss pattern,
quitting the old place,
starting your hero journey,
following your bliss.
You throw off yesterday
as the snake sheds its skin.
The goal of the hero trip
down the jewel point is
to find those levels in the psyche
that open, open, open,
and finally open to the mystery
of your Self being
Buddha consciousness
or the Christ.
That's the journey.
It is all about finding
that still point in your mind
where commitment drops away.
If what your are following,
is your own true adventure,
if it is something appropriate
to your deep spiritual need or readiness,
then magical guides will appear to help you.
If you say,"Everyone's going on this trip this year,
and I am going too,"
then no guides will appear.
Your adventure has to be coming
right out of your own interior.
If you are ready for it,
then doors will open
where there were no doors before,
and where there would not be doors for anyone else.
And you must have courage.
It's the call to adventure,
which means there is no security, no rules.
As you go towards the centre,
there will come more aids,
as well as increasingly difficult trials.
You have to give up
more and more of what you're hanging on to.
The final thing is a total giving up,
a yielding all the way.
When the world
seems to be falling apart,
the rule is to hang onto your own bliss.
It's that life that survives.
And that's the revelation then,
to be grounded in eternity
and moving in the field of time.
The field of time is the field of sorrow.
"All life is sorrowful." And it is.
If you try to correct the sorrows,
all you do is shift them somewhere else.
Life is sorrowful.
How do you live with that?
You realize the eternal within yourself.
You disengage, and yet, reengage.
You -- and here's the beautiful formula --
"Participate with joy in the sorrows of the world."
You play the game.
It hurts, but you know that you have found
the place that is transcendent of injury and fulfilments.
You are there,
and that's it.
Joseph Campbell
(Selected and edited by Diane K Osborn; Additional
editing by Dirk Marais)
From: “Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion” by Diane K Osborn (Editor)
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