Blog #4: Myth- reality or fiction?- Cole Guinther

Assignment 1, the C.S. Lewis and Myth essay, was focused upon myth and its relation to the primary and secondary world. Similar to the discussion of the supernatural, I was appalled by this concept and wanted to understand the explanation in the way it was meant to be understood. Before the assignment, I never truly understood a myth. I saw it as a fictional story written and told by certain cultures and used purely as storytelling entertainment; I've now realized that this is not necessarily the case. Myths show much more truth than I previously understood.

I believe the main reason that people deny myths is because the stories are not something that have happened to them personally. Therefore, the biggest obstacle to myth acceptance is unfamiliarity and absolute thought. To explain this in simpler terms, when someone does not open their mind to new ideas that are outside of their own experiences, then they prevent themselves from creating a link between the primary and secondary world. Someone may be knowledgeable in the general academic knowledge, but if they cannot open their mind to new ideas then they restrict themselves from gaining knowledge beyond themselves. Considering that myths tell a story of a different time and alternate life, it becomes a way to gain an understanding of something larger than the knowledge of our own experiences.

Overall, accepting the ideas written in myths may be the next step in gaining higher understanding of humanity, but our own denial prevents most people from accepting it. I find this to be very fascinating and a idea I'd like to learn about more in depth.

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