Spirituality In The Power Of Myth By Joseph Campbell

Humans now have the capability of living longer than ever due to recent technological advancements, along with medicinal research. However, the ultimate price paid for these advancements is the dissociation of one’s own spirituality. Our ways of connecting and reasoning with nature and spirituality has immensely changed. Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, says “But when you think what people are actually undergoing in our civilization, you realize it’s a very grim thing to be a modern human being.” In its face value, Campbell might have been bitterly analyzing humans and conditions in which many people around the world live in. However, Campbell is actually referring to modern humans living a grim life due to the refusal of being
in touch with their spiritual self.
Modern humans have drastically lost its ability of maintaining a spiritual side due to advancements in technology.
Humans now have the capability of having all the answers in front of them in just a few keystrokes of a keyboard. In this sense, humans are depending on non-living objects rather than looking inward for answers to everyday problems. Salvatore Folisi explains this by stating, “We no longer live in the actual world, but in our own self, created world, via the latest form of technology.” Recent technological advancements have done wonders for this world. Technology has greatly changed the way humans communicate, learn, and even think. However, humans have taken the souls out of each other and put them into machines. Humans no longer feel the need to experience nature or a spiritual connection. According to Folisi:
The natural world, the earth itself; the air, the trees, the vast realms of animals, plants, oceans, deserts, and mountains are increasingly losing meaning and value in the self-hypnotized, narasistic lives of mechanized human being. . . . It’s sad indeed, when we ignore what is right before our eyes, i.e. our actual surrounding environment, and instead remain culled to a collective techno-vision of the ideal man- made
life.
Humans have lost their spiritual value due to a fascination of extrinsic motivations.
Extrinsic motivations are “Motivations that comes from external sources, such as monetary rewards and trophies.” People are often motivated by money, fashion, cars, and reputation that they usually neglect intrinsic motivations such as personal growth, and most of all, happiness. According to the Cognitive Evaluation Theory, “Extrinsic rewards have a negative effect on an individual’s intrinsic motivation.” The biggest intrinsic motivator is happiness through one’s own spirituality. However, According to the Spiritual Science Research Foundation, on any given time, humans are happy only 30% of the time. This is due to low levels of human spirituality and high levels of desired material possessions and statuses. Intrinsic spirituality is described as “Candid, personally relevant, abstract, relational, discerning, and differiented.” This is in stark contrast with extrinsic spirituality, which is described as “lack of a knowledge base, is restrictive, detached, irrelevant to everyday life, concrete, and simplistic.” When extrinsic motivators are the main motivators in life, humans are forced to neglect intrinsic motivators, which are the main motivators to living a spiritual
life.
All religions are peaceful if practiced in the context of peace and empathy. However, religious individuals usually cast out anyone who does not share their particular religious beliefs. Religion, contrary to popular belief, can hurt spirituality. According to Rabbi Rami Shapiro, an author, and Rabbi, “Religion is often about who’s in and who’s out, creating a worldview steeped in ‘us against them.’ Spirituality rejects this dualism and speaks of us and them.” Rabbi Shapiro is referring to the closed-minded religious individuals who essentially deny themselves and others the opportunity to grow and accept others with different beliefs. Rabbi Shapiro further argues, “Religion is often about loyalty to institutions, clergy, and rules. Spirituality is about loyalty to justice and compassion.” Religion and spirituality go hand in hand. However, the restrictions that are put on religions can hurt spirituality and the acceptance of others.
As humans continue to live in a world in which technology runs everyday life, intrinsic values are deemed unimportant, and the restrictions from religions hurt spirituality, the desire of living a spiritual life will decline. Technology has essentially made humans artificial while motivations such as money and reputation have made the meaning of life artificial. Joseph Campbell was right when he mentioned that it is a grim thing to be a modern human being.