When I was a kid, I geeked out on the Britannica set "Encyclopedia of Mythology" gifted from an elder aunt. I loved reading about the Shining City of Cibola, a city made of gold somewhere in the desert of the Southwest. I was intrigued by the Fountain of Youth story of Ponce de Leon. I romanticized those early legends brought back to Europe by the conquistadores, people I originally admired as great explorers and adventurers until I learned things from a First People perspective and realized it was all about God, Gold and Glory. I wondered if those myths were actually made up on the spot to protect the tribe and keep the plundering invaders searching elsewhere. Cibola had the greedy conquistadores wandering the southwestern desert for generations. The Fountain of Youth drew hapless explorers to perish in the swamps of the Southeast. A friend's FB post recently made me remember Cibola. Got me thinking: What are the defensive myths we consciously or semi-consciously propagate to defend ourselves and hide the treasure of our true selves?
My own myth? Have to remind myself on a daily basis that I do not always know better, that I definitely am not better than others and to stop auditioning for the role of god. Yeah I know; an atheist who thinks he is something he doesn't even believe in. Fucked up right?