Facing the dragon
"Psychologically, the dragon is one's binding of oneself to one's ego, and you're captured in your own dragon cage.” – Joseph Campbell
In author and philosopher Joseph Campbell's “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” a dragon represents the most fearsome and challenging obstacle a person can face. Metaphorically speaking, dragons represent our internal struggles with fear or greed, sitting atop a fragile ego. However, as Campbell writes, facing our dragon is vital to achieving the boon, i.e., experience, that follows. The same experience we take and leverage during the next challenge.
Ego provides a set of values and beliefs that we rarely question or challenge. Partly due to safety and self-assurance, we may not have come this far without believing in ourselves or our abilities. But this same self-centered approach can prevent insight and tell false stories. It harbors irrational fears and perpetuates self-doubt. The same ingredients are required to feel satisfaction and accomplishment when achieving personal goals.
The Purpose of Fear.
Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant put it this way.
“Bold, overhanging, as it were threatening cliffs, thunder clouds towering up into the heavens, bringing with them flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder, volcanoes with their all-destroying violence, hurricanes with the devastation they leave behind, the boundless ocean set into a rage, a lofty waterfall on a mighty river, etc., make our capacity to resist into an insignificant trifle in comparison with their power. But the sight of them only becomes all the more attractive the more fearful it is, as long as we find ourselves in safety, and we gladly call these objects sublime because they elevate the strength of our soul above its usual level, and allow us to discover within ourselves a capacity for resistance of quite another kind, which gives us the courage to measure ourselves against the apparent all-powerfulness of nature.”
(5:261, Critique of the Power of Judgment)
The fear in our minds is the same thing we compare ourselves against. When we muster the courage to face those fears, we open up the possibility of experiencing a level of success and satisfaction that fear previously held. The greater the fear, the greater feeling of achievement once overcome.
Equip the Mind.
Facing our dragons requires a growth mindset, the belief that we can develop our abilities and intelligence through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. This allows us to embrace challenges and view them as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. When we face the dragon, we are proactively stepping out of our comfort zones and taking a risk. A growth mindset encourages us to see this as an opportunity to learn and develop new skills and beliefs rather than another chance to fail. Reframing the experience and focusing on the positive outcome versus the negative.
Reframing requires a shift in our mindset. We may have been conditioned to view certain situations or challenges in a negative light, believing that they are impossible to overcome. By shifting our mindset, we can reframe these challenges as opportunities for growth and development. This requires us to be open to new perspectives and challenge our beliefs and assumptions.
Mindset shifts can be difficult but essential for personal growth and development. We can shift our mindset by challenging our beliefs and assumptions, seeking new perspectives and experiences, and nurturing a growth mindset. When we face the dragon, we confront our limiting beliefs. We can grow and develop as individuals by challenging these and reframing them into something more productive and empowering. When we habitually engage in this effort, we build a stronger sense of resilience, allowing us to continue to move forward.
Drive Forward.
Simply put, resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and persevere when facing challenges. When we face the dragon, we may experience setbacks and failures. Resilience allows us to pick ourselves up and keep going, even when things are tough.
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius embraced stoic philosophy and recorded his ideas, which later became “Meditations.” He alluded to resilience when he wrote the following.
“You have to assemble your life yourself, action by action. And be satisfied if each one achieves its goal as far as it can. No one can keep that from happening. But there are external obstacles. Not to behave with justice, self-control, and good sense. But if you accept the obstacle and work with what you’re given, an alternative will present itself, another piece of what you’re trying to assemble. Action by action.”
Developing resilience requires the cultivation of determination and self-awareness. Determination can only be achieved through consistent action with goals outside our comfort zone. Self-awareness requires stepping outside ourselves and reflecting on our thoughts. Questioning how we view ourselves and how others may view us are key elements in developing this skill. We can better face the dragon and overcome our fears and challenges when we have a strong sense of inner resilience.
Facing our dragons is an essential step in our personal growth and development. To do so, we must foster a growth mindset, appropriately shift our mindset, and strengthen our resilience. Habitually confronting fears develops the strength and determination to overcome them. When adopting these principles, we can face any challenge with courage and determination and emerge stronger and more resilient on the other side.