This Week on “The Morning Show” “Why the World Doesn’t End” with Mythologist Michael Meade
November 26, 2024This Week on “The Morning Show”
“Why the World Doesn’t End” with Mythologist Michael Meade
On Thanksgiving Day we’ll be showing a rerun of my interview with mythologist Michael Meade, author of “Why the World Doesn’t End.” For any of you who may feel that Michael’s title is overly optimistic and that apocalypse is nigh, I encourage you to watch or re-watch this interview. You may find it as helpful and restorative as I do every time I watch it…I am very grateful to Michael for having given generously of his time and his wisdom, and I find new and profound ideas to reflect upon every time I watch it.
Michael explains that from a mythological perspective, which looks at current events as the surface manifestation of eternal and universal underpinnings, “apocalypse” derives from ancient Greek, and combines two meanings: one is “lifting the veil” and the other is “collapse/renewal.” He says the original meaning integrates the destruction or unraveling of old and ailing social wounds (in the U.S., he says these are the foundational wounds of racism and misogyny) so that what is badly in need of healing and repair can finally be seen clearly enough to prompt new creation. We can’t heal what we haven’t been able to see beneath the surface of what only appeared to be working. As hard as it is to see these wounds and the hatreds they reveal…these are the times we were born to, and we are called to witness the collapse.
Collapse is never an endpoint, though. The “endarkenment” itself reveals the way toward a new and more complete “enlightenment.” The way we reverse the unravelling is not external to us, Michael says, but rather is to get in touch with our inner Genius…which in its ancient and original meaning has nothing to do with IQ, but has everything to do with the inner spirit and creativity that each of us carries within. By each of us choosing to connect with that inner spark and creativity – in whatever form it takes – the result will naturally and inevitably be repair and newness. This view reminds me of the Jewish concept of Tikkum Olam, or repair of the world, which is our eternal call and task.
Onward, in sum. The key to hope and renewal is within each of us…the most powerful force in the world, and the outward expression of eternity.
I am thankful to and for you all! May you be well! May your Thanksgiving be filled with peace, laughter, and light.
Here is the link to Michael’s interview: Morning Show With Mary Jacobsen November 4, 2021 Mythologist Michael Meade
