I would like to tell this story I heard a long time ago.
Somewhere in the world a little group of freedom fighters are caught in a bad situation. Their leader is told through the radio that they cannot expect any support but that they have to break through the enemy lines because it would create a main strategic outcome leading to the final victory.
The pressure is very high. This is calling for some self sacrifice: one of them has to go very close to the enemy line and use explosives at short distance.
The leader gathers his few men. They are standing in front him in a single row. He explains the situation and asks for someone to volunteer.
Suddenly a little guy makes a step forward. The leader congratulates him and gives him the details of the mission.
However he does not hear the little guy saying in a low voice: Who the hell is the f* son of a b* who pushed me forward?
So it came from the back, an unconscious urge. And you are right to say that the danger is, as usual, the lack of consciousness. A hero is a casual man/woman who has no other choice at one moment of his/her life. Heroism thus partakes of the call for individuation through projection. If the hero wants to fulfil his/her task and stay alive he/she definitely has to become conscious of the situation in depth. This way he can benefit of the suffering involved and grow. There is no growth without suffering.
The trick is there: consciously suffering, that is to say consciously holding the opposites hoping for a possible third term to emerge, a tertium non datur.
But as I said before nobody will chose that except if it is the only solution left. This is hell and the way to survive.
If the hero stays unconscious and blindly follows what appears as fate then he/she will eventually be crushed for the point will have been missed: the expansion of his/her consciousness. Of course he/she will most certainly be praised by the collective but this is not what individuation is about. A dead unconscious hero brings nothing to life as a living conscious son or daughter of the Bitch can still help a little
Love
Roger the plumber.
PS: please forgive my fuzzy English, English is not my native language.
Comment by Roger
on Life without Heroes
I would like to tell this story I heard a long time ago.
Somewhere in the world a little group of freedom fighters are caught in a bad situation. Their leader is told through the radio that they cannot expect any support but that they have to break through the enemy lines because it would create a main strategic outcome leading to the final victory.
The pressure is very high. This is calling for some self sacrifice: one of them has to go very close to the enemy line and use explosives at short distance.
The leader gathers his few men. They are standing in front him in a single row. He explains the situation and asks for someone to volunteer.
Suddenly a little guy makes a step forward. The leader congratulates him and gives him the details of the mission.
However he does not hear the little guy saying in a low voice: Who the hell is the f* son of a b* who pushed me forward?
So it came from the back, an unconscious urge. And you are right to say that the danger is, as usual, the lack of consciousness. A hero is a casual man/woman who has no other choice at one moment of his/her life. Heroism thus partakes of the call for individuation through projection. If the hero wants to fulfil his/her task and stay alive he/she definitely has to become conscious of the situation in depth. This way he can benefit of the suffering involved and grow. There is no growth without suffering.
The trick is there: consciously suffering, that is to say consciously holding the opposites hoping for a possible third term to emerge, a tertium non datur.
But as I said before nobody will chose that except if it is the only solution left. This is hell and the way to survive.
If the hero stays unconscious and blindly follows what appears as fate then he/she will eventually be crushed for the point will have been missed: the expansion of his/her consciousness. Of course he/she will most certainly be praised by the collective but this is not what individuation is about. A dead unconscious hero brings nothing to life as a living conscious son or daughter of the Bitch can still help a little
Love
Roger the plumber.
PS: please forgive my fuzzy English, English is not my native language.