Where it is Darkest

In the West, we put an emphasis on the individual. We hold that one’s experience is of the upmost importance. Unbound by traditions or duty, we are all free to find our paths.

That responsibility is burdensome for many. As explained by Joseph Campbell, this notion is exemplified by a version of the Grail legend where the neutral angels make the holy cup appear to Arthur and his knights. The grail’s call to adventure was approached by each knight individually.

They thought that it would be a disgrace to go forth as a group. Each entered the forest at a point that he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no path. If there is a path it is someone else’s path and you are not on the adventure.

-Joseph Campbell

A writer is like the knight; the page is our forest. In creating our stories, we must make our own path. Our stories come from us and us alone. We are the only ones who can find the way.