Rejecting the call to adventure

And then changing your mind

Hi!

Ready for an adventure?

I first learned about Joseph Campbell and his work on story archetypes when I was a teenager obsessed with Star Wars. This was in the 90s, so only the original trilogy existed.

The part of the hero’s journey that boggled my mind was the rejection of the call to adventure. The hero is given the chance to undertake a quest. The hero is often reluctant to accept the call and usually rejects the first call because the quest is too risky. In other words, the hero is too comfortable.

Then something changes. Something forces the hero to accept the call to adventure. The hero is forced out of their comfort zone.

In the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, Luke Skywalker refuses to join Obi-Wan Kenobi in delivering the Death Star plans to the rebellion, even though all he wants to do is get off the planet and away from his boring moisture farm duties. It’s not until his aunt and uncle are murdered, and he has no place left to go that he accepts the call to adventure.

As a pudgy middle-aged dad, the phenomenon of rejecting the call to adventure makes a lot more sense. Who has time for a quest? Dishes need washed, trees need trimmed, and who will take care of the dog?

We are not being asked to go on a quest to help overthrow a galactic empire. However, there are many other quests out there. That quest might be to write a book, tell a new kind of story, or start a new career. These are all scary things. Will you reject the call, or will you stay in your comfort zone?

Be the weird you want to see in the world!

Cheers,

Jason