Cops routinely enter scenes from which everybody else is relieved to run. … into the world where evil happens, where people hurt each other, and where people feel afraid for their safety.
Finds MENTORS and CROSSES THE THRESHOLD…. That gets them into the academy and their first job. LEAVES the ORDINARY WORLD after hearing a CALL TO ADVENTURE. So here it is, and I take the liberty of combining a few of Vogler’s stages to describe a police officer’s career in the stages of a hero’s journey: It might be not obvious at first why I apply the same universal journey to sworn officers. Dorothy is in her ordinary world in Kansas, she goes through a threshold into the Land of Oz, she encounters serious troubles with the Wicked Witch of the West, she finds allies and makes enemies, and eventually she prevails and discovers there is no place like home. 
You see this pattern again and again in myths, movies, and classic literature.Īs you think of movies and classics of literature, you might begin to think: Oh yes, now I see.
The hero encounters tests and helpers. The hero is encouraged by a MENTOR (often a Wise Old Man or Woman). The hero is introduced in his/her ORDINARY WORLD. Here are the twelve stages of the hero’s journey as Vogler described them: Both Campbell and Vogler saw this as mostly a circular journey in which the hero leaves his ordinary world, endures a period of trials and struggles, learns a lot from those struggles, and returns as a better person capable of sharing what he has learned. Then Hollywood producer Christopher Vogler popularized it with a seven-page memo in 1985 that propelled the hero’s journey to become a staple of Hollywood producers. Campbell first described the hero’s journey in his 1949 book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Take your cue from Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Simba, or other characters in popular movies. I won’t convince everyone, perhaps not many at first, but I know I am right about this.Ĭops shun the "hero" label, but they proudly wear a badge,Īnd they can benefit from learning how their careers,įollow an astonishing resemblance to the classic hero’s journeyĪs it unfolds in every culture and every genre. Cops might benefit from knowing that their personal sacrifices and lives of service follow a script familiar in every culture and every period of history. That is precisely why I’m trying to follow Joseph Campbell’s lead into describing why the hero’s journey is a universal journey available to anyone. As I go into greater depth, I remain concerned that cops might call bullshit on it because popular heroic characters often seem too super, almost perfect, and without serious flaws. 
In the December 2019 issue of Command, I introduced the concept of the hero’s journey and how it applies to a cop’s career.
Approach to the inmost cave meaning series#
Part 2 in a Special Series for Command magazine The cop and the hero's journey: A life of sacrifice and service with no guarantee of a tidy, happy ending ILEAP (Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program).Awards - Rising Shields of Law Enforcement.Traffic Safety Challenge Breakfast 2022.
0 kommentar(er)
