A hero’s journey

Have you ever felt that there was a certain subject that you needed to know more about? Well, there was a poet named W. B. Yeats who wrote, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.” We all have had those moments where you’re just so passionate about something. A thing so interesting that you can not put down, will not stop learning. You feel wheels turning in your head, a light turned on, and it’s like your the only person there and nothing else matters. That is where we really learn. We have all been in a classroom and gotten bored, zoned out, and we do not learn anything because we did not pay attention. If you do not care about something, you will not pay enough attention to it.

Anyways, it was middle school, sixth grade, and we were learning about Egyptian culture and history. Then, all of a sudden, it clicked. I was hooked and I wanted more information. I got books on their culture and learned their myths. Then a year later, my dad and sister read Percy Jackson and I started to read it too. I lost interest, but I loved the mythology part of it. I learned about any myths I could find; Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Native American, and many more in years to come. I got entranced by the stories, making my mind connect the dots as if I had won a race giving me that excitement. These stories became my escape from reality, where there were immortals, sea monsters, gods, demigods, giants, and so much more!

Towards the end of middle school, I watched a Marvel movie, which one it was I don’t remember, but it reminded me of the myths I had read before. I watched more and more and anticipated when the new ones would come out. I even looked in comic books to get answers about superheroes not in movies or details they didn’t mention. My eyes were glued to the screen and comics. What was even better was that  most of the heroes were based on myths. In fact, Thor, king of Asgard, is a Norse god all the context about him come from the original source. Another is Loki, the trickster god, also in Norse mythology. There is something about heroes, fictional creatures, and good versus evil that makes my heart beat as fast as the Flash. I just can’t put my finger on it, I just don’t know why I love it. There just is something about it that brightens my world. Maybe the fact it is not of this world or that  it was popular. All I know is that I can’t imagine my life without it.

As the poet said, you can not learn things by reading or even looking at something. You have to want it, explore it, to learn. And I still love myths and heroes to this day. Having that drive to learn more has taught me very good lessons. Lessons I learned from those stories, like in Greek mythology was Icarus who flew too close to the sun with wax wings, he plummeted into the ocean, sinking and drowning. If he had just listened to his father, none of that would have happened. I am so glad that I got into these and I feel like I have gained so much knowledge because of them.  

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