Give me a chance to bleed, I can’t be Hercules
Certeza, Patrisha Bianca Y. III - 2 BEE
Hercules is one of the characters that Disney showcased in their films. His story introduced him as a newborn child of the Greek Gods who was carried off to live in the world of mortals. He went through a lot of trials and challenges in his teenage years, proving himself that he is worthy to go back home and live in Mount Olympus. Furthermore, his journey manifests that he carries the characteristics of a hero and indeed, he is worthy of his name.
The voyage of Hercules is often referred to as The Hero’s Journey or the Monomyth by Joseph Campbell. It consists of different stages that a hero is going through; starting from his journey on the ordinary world, adventure, threshold, trials, meeting a mentor, having that feeling of despair, receiving rewards, and returning home being a renewed person. This concept was cited in Jeffrey Scott’s writings on personal development and I wanted to highlight the three main stages of the hero’s journey: departure, initiation, and return.
Departure
Hercules was an innocent child when his adventure started, and I cannot deny it that I saw myself in him. I felt so young when I left our province and transferred to Manila to study for college. Leaving my safe space and comfort zone was really hard for me, especially that I grew up studying in a school near our home, having my childhood friends and cousins as my classmates and schoolmates. One of my first struggles then was commuting every weekend, going home in the province and leaving again for Manila.
Initiation
Being away from home, I thought, would be my only problem in my journey. But I was so wrong. Just like Hercules, I went through a lot of trials and challenges, not only for myself but also for other people depending on me, my family. Our only difference was that Hercules had a mentor when he faced his trials while I needed to be strong and brave alone.
Entering PNU, I only know myself. Being a shy type of girl, it took me a while to be friends with some of my classmates in first year. Entering majorship in second year, I cried a lot and there were also sleepless nights, battling with my inner self if I should still continue or stop.
“I can go the distance.” says Hercules, while “Give me a chance to bleed, I can’t be Hercules.” says I. This is me, still contemplating and thinking about how I would surpass all the trials life has given me. And just like Hercules, I know, someday, I would be successful in achieving all of my goals and aspirations in life.
Return
Now that I am already in third year college, I somehow learned a lot from the battles I am facing each day. Being with my family feels like home, and I am always grateful that they always see me as a better person each day. I can’t say that I am already a renewed person, but I think this somehow leads me there.
Hercules, after successfully conquering all his battles, returned home and has already proved himself worthy of his name. Indeed, there’s no other way to surpass my life’s challenges but to conquer all of these, no matter how long and whatever it takes.
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