More than simple faerie tales, myths can teach, heal, act as morality guides, or beacons of inspiration along a sometimes murky spiritual path. The myths of a culture are it's soul. They are what's left behind when the political border lines have changed and the people themselves are gone. Myth helps us to understand our own nature as well as that of the world around us. Joseph Campbell, noted scholar and one of the foremost authorities on mythology states, "Myth must be kept alive. The people who can (do this) are artists . . . . The function of the artist is the mythologization of the environment and the world." At a time when we, as a society, rely more on science and technology for answers to our various quandries, than a collective, traditional knowledge, refocusing on mythologization is more important then ever.
Are you anxious? Here, take a new pill! Are kids more violent? Must be the video games! The adage "There's nothing new under the sun." is itself certainly not a new concept. If we delve deep enough, the answers are already existent, like diamonds in the dark. When we forget the stories of our ancestors, we forget our own past and when that happens, we are gnawing at the fragile ties to our future. We must maintain a connection, not only to what we may think of as "history," but also of the continuing narratives we tell ourselves about ourselves.