MYTHOLOGY: Escape from Reality?
Let’s define mythology as a popular belief or assumption that grows around someone, something, a country, or a society. In the past, the most familiar mythologies centered on ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and other cultures.
But what’s not emphasized is this. A mythology is an attempt to explain or change reality. For example, if the clouds move, God’s breath moved them. Of course, we know that’s not true because there’s an explanation — the wind. But that earlier answer can comfort a culture until another explanation is found or uncovered.
So, when it comes to explanations of the universe, other universes, heaven, hell, and related topics, mythologies reign supreme, and humankind walks in ignorance, even though belief in many of these explanations is strong, even called factual.
Many mythologies or beliefs are supported by books, speeches, writings, or symbols. People become attached to them, and they can create a mythology that many support, to the point that a religion or movement forms. But the mythology vanishes when actual experience or facts appear.
These mythologies can cause serious trouble because so many are in error. Lies can become mythologies. Prejudice can lead to mythologies. There are political mythologies. There are academic mythologies. Often, some of these become entrenched in the consciousness of groups or individuals.
So, what are the keys? Facts and experiences. If someone says heaven is a sandy beach with great oceans, where peace and tranquility exist, where’s the evidence for that belief? If someone says this is a government that will deliver happiness, where’s the evidence? The only evidence for turning mythology into reality is fact or experience, but the latter is limited to one person, not an entire population. New facts can be as dangerous as old ones. Why? Fact today, a myth tomorrow.
Yet positive mythologies can help a person or a country move forward until something better comes along. However, negative and oppressive mythologies can crush individuals, countries, and cultures. Unfortunately, these are often at the forefront of daily life. Nevertheless, they form the unseen architecture of today’s so-called reality.
- For direct inquiries, contact us at