This is an excerpt from the multi-hour interview Bill Moyers did with Joseph Campbell, back in 1983. It was released in video, audio, and book form as The Power of Myth. I had the tapes, and have listened to all 6 hours, at least 50 times each. Many creative people were inspired by Joseph Campbell's work, including George Lucas, while writing Star Wars. This interview took place at Skywalker Ranch. Here's George Lucas talking to Bill Moyers about Joseph Campbell, and the mythology behind the original Star Wars trilogy, 12 years after the Joseph Campbell interview.
Joseph Campbell was 25 when he went to Woodstock. But he didn't go to the huge hippie concert in 1969. Joseph Campbell went to Woodstock, New York in 1929, at age 25, when there was no work because of the Great Depression. He rented a cleaned out chicken coop for $5 a month, and began to read classic literature for 9 hours a day. He didn't read because he had to, he read because he wanted to. He did that, 9 hours of reading, and 3 hours of hanging with friends, for about 5 years. He also did some traveling during that time, but he spent most of it in the quiet little town of Woodstock.
During those reading years, in story after story, he began to see the same themes played out, over and over again, in the best literature throughout history. That concept, those themes, became the basis for Campbell's 1949 book, The Hero With 1,000 Faces. Campbell went on to teach for nearly four decades at Sarah Lawrence College, and wrote and spoke much more about mythology and the religions of the world, and what they all had in common. Ultimately, near the end of his life, that led to the interview above, at about age 79, which became The Power of Myth.
Campbell's idea to "Follow your bliss," as explained in the video clip above, is to find what truly interests you, at this point in your life. It's different for every person, and your intuition leads you to it. It can, and will, change, as your life progresses. It's pretty much always NOT what the people around you want to to do with your life, which leads to a lot of soul searching and drama at times. No one can tell you you're doing it right or doing it wrong. But if you do follow your bliss, life will lead you on an adventure you'd never imagine early on.
I know, this is how I've lived my weird life. It's caused me a lot of trouble, but also has shown me great rewards. Yeah, I'm homeless these days, so financial rewards weren't in the picture for many years of my life. But I sleep better as a homeless man, than a lot of people in luxurious bedrooms. I've now lived for 2 1/2 years, this stretch, on the streets of Southern California, mostly in L.A. county. I live and sleep alone, without a tent, unarmed. I haven't carried any weapon since I've been back out here in 2019.
How is that possible? Because of what my weird journey through life has taught me. That doesn't mean it doesn't get dicey at times. I've struggled, been pretty hungry at times, cussed up a storm when frustrated, and been toe to toe with a crazy fucker who actually had devil horns tattooed on his bald head (I recommend avoiding that type of situation if possible). I'm still here. Still learning. And still working every single day, doing work I love, even if it doesn't pay shit for the time being.
So what's your "bliss?" What subject or idea fascinates you right now? What could you dedicate the next chunk of your life to, if you had no other responsibilities? Just think about that for a moment. What was the very first thing that came to mind? The idea that made the rest of your mind go "oh no, I couldn't do that." Think about that for a few minutes. That's a start to finding our "bliss," if you haven't already.
Now, you have a life, of some kind. You have responsibilities. But that doesn't mean you can't spend a little time on that subject or activity that really fascinates you. Go ahead, give that thing a little more time in your life, and see where that leads. That's how you "follow your bliss."
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