Hero Wisdom

Mad Max is an archetypal hero showing that the way to rebuild meaning and hope when your world has ended, and all seems lost, is through service to humanity

Daredevil's hypersensitivity can be seen as a symbol of emotional sensitivity. But we can use the same method he uses to not get overwhelmed by our emotions.

Perhaps the biggest fallacy that some young people grow up believing is the idea that you need money, smarts, power or beauty to be an Avenger or superhero.

'The Guardians of the Galaxy' beautifully, gorgeously, captures two of the most cherished principles in all of myth and story: (a) that there is latent power within us, and (b) together we are powerful.

Time plus repetition is one of the most awesome forces in nature. It literally moves mountains. In the face of such a force, something so small and insignificant as a human goal will sooner or later fall at your feet with a sigh of surrender.

Fear. Sadness. Anger. Envy. Jealousy. Guilt. Loneliness. The so-called negative emotions. Here are 9 archetypes from pop culture that will not only help you cope with your negative emotions, they will help you channel those emotions into good, productive activity.

I watch The Walking Dead for one reason and one reason alone: I identify with the characters in that show more than I can with most real people I meet. This sounds cynical but actually it's not meant to be. There are some important lessons hidden within this statement that help me to survive. And I think maybe they can help you too.

You don’t need Zimbio to tell you that you are Captain Kirk. You don’t need thirty friends clicking “like” on your You Are Katniss meme to validate the fact that you are indeed her (or at least have the potential to be her). You are Katniss if you say you are.

Here is a playlist of tracks from mythic soundtracks that I use personally. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to the pieces on this list. And while I use music from all genres to inspire myself for the sake of focus this post will stick to soundtracks. Consider it a sequel of sorts to my post on superhero soundtracks.

Even with every odd stacked against him, CM Punk has never given up nor let anyone else define him. He tells people he is the best and works everyday to prove it. And it is because of this that he succeeds. Of course, we can’t all be the Best in the World, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying.

Of all the heroes in contemporary pop culture, Katniss Evereeen is one of the greatest. And it isn't because she's such a badass. It is because she isn't.

Volvo’s ad of Jean-Claude Van Damme doing “the epic split” is everything the best ads aspire to be and is one of those times when the medium is elevated into true art.

In this post, I discuss how the movie 'Gravity,' if you choose to let it, can go beyond simply being an entertaining movie (or not, for those of you who didn’t like it) and become a tool and vehicle by which you can have a transcendent spiritual experience.

'The Wolverine' essentially traces the heroic journey of Logan from despair to hope, from hiding and running from life to embracing it with a passionate ferocity worthy of his nickname. And it is not an unlivable ideal. It is a symbol of what we are all capable of.

Being a true Man or Woman of Steel has little to do with physical or political might and everything to do with mental, emotional and spiritual strength, and this strength, moreover, isn't about aggression, ruthlessness or machismo but the transformation of our weakness and vulnerability into virtue.