Opération Quest: Untapped Potential

Joseph Campbell wrote that we're all born with great potential, and even if we don't realize that potential, it still remains, waiting for us:

"All the ogres and secret helpers of our nursery are there, all the magic of childhood. And more important, all the life-potentialities that we never managed to bring to adult realization, those other portions of ourself, are there; for such golden seeds do not die." (Hero With a Thousand Faces)

Doesn't that remind you of the ending of The Wizard Of Oz, where Dorothy is told that the power to return home was with her all along?

There's also a children's book, based on Hindu mythology, that perfectly illustrates this idea. It's about Hanuman the monkey whose childhood powers got him into trouble, so the elders asked that he be made to forget them. As an adult he goes on a dangerous adventure to help Prince Rama, and saves the day because he's reminded that he can jump super far, grow to the size of a giant, and fly.

I wonder what "golden seeds" we might still have in us, that only a dangerous adventure will reveal? Hmm.

 

ADDED READING

LONGER SUMMARY OF HANUMAN BY ERIK JENDRESEN AND JOSHUA M GREENE

Like all children, Hanuman the monkey had great powers. But he was also very curious and always getting into trouble, and one day when he jumped as high as the sun he was struck down by a god and broke his chin. The elders prayed for him to forget his powers. He grew up to be the Commander of the monkey army, but with no memory of his real potential.

One day Prince Rama's wife Sita was kidnapped by the baddie Ravana--or He Who Made the Universe Scream--so Rama turned to Hanuman to help him. As the search parties spread out, Rama told Hanuman: You can do more than you know.

Hanuman's party came to Ravana's island, but it was far away over an ocean--monkeys can't jump quite that far, so Hanuman wasn't sure what to do. But his friend Jambavan reminded him of what Rama said, and that he'd broken his chin jumping to the sun. And Hanuman remembered. And he jumped.

Hanuman saw Sita in captivity, and learned that she had two months before Ravana would force her to be his wife. He jumped back and found Rama, and their armies built a stone river across to the island. A horrible battle ensued, led not by Ravana but by his giant brother. Again they appeared,defeated, but Jambavan told Hanuman he could grow to the size of a giant. Hanuman grew, and defeated the brother.

But Ravana's son unleashed a weapon that killed everyone else including Rama. The dying Jambavan told Hanuman: You must use your power to fly to the mountain Himavan and bring back the herb that restores life. So Hanuman flew away and, not knowing which was the right herb, flew back with the mountain.

With everyone restored to life, Rama's brother killed Ravana's son, and finally Ravana himself emerged. Ravana had once forced the gods to make him immune to all gods and demons, but didn't think of monkeys and humans. Rama let fly an arrow towards him, and Ravana looked into Rama's eyes, and perhaps overcome by the goodness he saw there, didn't defend himself. The arrow pierced his heart. Sita and Ravana's slaves were free.

Hanuman thanked Rama for helping him. Rama said: "All of these gifts you were given long ago. You have followed your heart and found these gifts inside of you. All that I can do is make you the keeper of our story. Tell the world what a monkey who follows his heart can do." Hanuman asked for a reminder, so Rama said he'd give him a daily reminder and made the sun rise. And Hanuman realized this was Vishnu, come to earth in human form.

Then he returned home to tell his story.