"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are--if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time." Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth.
What does that quote do for you? Is it a relief or does it terrify you? For me, it's both. As a young person, I wonder what my life will be like. For the most part, it is not up to me. I have no idea what lies ahead. I could get cancer. I could lose a loved one. I could get married. I could get divorced. I could never be married. I might have kids. I might have a dog. No one knows. What, then, should I do?
Campbell says, "follow your bliss." Personal agency is mandatory in order to live out Campbell's advice.
In "Thus Spake Zarathustra," Friedrich Nietzsche describes the transformation of the soul. It goes from camel, to lion, to child. At the beginning of life, a person is a camel. They bend down and accept the rules of society. They become civilized by learning and obeying all the rules put upon them by society. In the period of youth, the camel rises to its feet and makes its way to the desert where it becomes a lion. The mission of the lion is kill the dragon. The dragon's name is "Thou shalt." Under each scale of this dragon "thou shalt" is imprinted. With this dragon, the rules become obstacles. The lion fights to tear off each "thou shalt" and come to its own decisions. Once the dragon is completely dead, the soul becomes a child. It follows its own nature, beholden to no one.
Many young people think growing up means following the rules of being an adult. For example, they may think they have to be married to be an adult, or raise children, or own a house. They also think there are things adults do not do. Adults do not stay up late, binge drink alcohol, eat candy, or watch cartoons. They do no swear, they do not buy on impulse, et cetera. To them adulthood is confined, when in reality it is defined by exploring every option before settling on a path.
So... I'm OK?
This message should be a relief to young people who do not know their path. It is a relief to me. I know I can eventually trust myself above others. I feel motivated to try new things and to see what sits well with me and what is not worth my time.
So following your bliss means knowing what makes you happy. Pay attention to what makes you happy. Make happiness your goal and live life constantly in pursuit of it.
