Walking the Hero’s Journey And Embracing My Masculine Core
The journey moving forward and Year 2 of Project 52
What This Is All About
Project 52 is a habit-building system that my good friend Frank created.
In his words, Project 52 is the controller for the game of Life.
Year 1 for me, was about learning to take care of myself and breaking my self-sabotage patterns.
I gave a lot of thought to what my intention for year 2 of Project 52 would be.
I figured it would be “Stepping into Adulthood by Leaving Neverland.”
But, it's become clear now.
My journey is the journey that every Shounen anime protagonist takes.
It’s laughable, I know. But, all these stories have an underlying theme that we see repeatedly.
There is a string of similarities between each anime and heroic stories. It’s why we find it so relatable.
For boys and men at least.
Here’s the punchline一
Every hero in some way or another is touched by evil. The journey he undertakes is to learn to channel it and not let it consume him.
They have a monster inside of them一 a monster they themselves and others fear.
When the monster takes over, it destroys things the protagonist cares about.
Let’s talk examples:
(Spoiler alert for a bunch of animes and shows)
-Naruto is the vessel for the Nine-tailed fox. The same monster that killed his parents and destroyed his village.
-Eren starts off hating titans but soon realises that he himself is a titan. Not just any titan though, the most powerful of them all.
-Akira Fudo becomes the devil, Amon. He is pure evil, or so you think.
-Aang, the Avatar is fearful of using fire because it was the element that destroyed his tribe. He also hurts people later on as he tries to wield it, making him even more fearful.
The list goes on and on, Tokyo Ghoul, Harry Potter, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, Parasyte.
This cannot be a coincidence.
Why would these authors and mangakas create stories about people touched by evil?
Especially when their target audience is kids who are not fucked up in the head?
Well, because they are.
The monster that lives inside is anger.
The fire that burns within us is masculine energy.
And, you can learn to wield it or choose to let it destroy you and the people around you.
We can run only for so long.
This masculine energy is powerful.
If you learn to tap into this primal aggression and rage, if you wield it well and do not let it consume you, you become a hero.
You see this all around you.
Men are in different stages of this journey.
There are 3 paths you can take一
1) Avoid responsibility
You can run from the responsibility of undertaking the hero's journey.
Like Aang did by burying himself in an iceberg for 100 years.
He was a kid. He was scared to grow up and take on adults. So, he decided to keep his childhood charm, goof around, and ran from his responsibility.
But, he knew that the clock was ticking. One day he’d have to face his enemy, without him having to make a choice.
2) The villain’s path
Often, there is no difference between the hero and the villain. They often have the same backstory, the same powers, and the same touch of evil.
But, it's two different outcomes.
One followed the light and one succumbed to the monster within.
You can let rage and vengeance take over you. It's very tempting.
Gon, who had the power to become a great hunter, decided to throw it all away for revenge.
The vessel that carries rage is destroyed first.
3) The hero’s path
The hero recognizes that he is touched by evil. But, he doesn’t run away or let it consume him.
He accepts the monster for what it is and channels it.
Naruto accepts Kurama, befriends him, and opens the seal.
This process of acceptance made him the strongest Shinobi in the world.
Eren realises that the monster within is the only thing that can bring true freedom to the people he loves.
You see men in different stages of these three arcs.
Some avoid responsibility and take to vices and being man-children.
Some let rage consume them and commit violent acts of crime or live resentful lives.
Some channel their anger, rage, and masculine essence to build something great.
Which path do you choose?
“A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very, very dangerous man who has that under voluntary control.” ~Jordan Peterson.
The Journey of Year 2 of Project 52
My intention for year 2 of Project 52 is to Walk the Hero’s Journey And Embrace My Masculine Core
Hero’s path: The hero’s journey is a common narrative archetype, or story template, that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory with that newfound knowledge, and then returns home transformed.
The hero’s journey can be boiled down to three essential stages:
-The departure: The hero leaves the familiar world behind.
-The initiation: The hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world.
-The return: The hero returns to the familiar world.
Masculine core: To me, it’s the monster that lives within. The creator and the destroyer. The protector and the killer. The source of rage and vitality. The danger and the guardian. The dragon in the lair and the knight in shining armor.
Embracing it would mean:
-Being purpose-driven. Building bricks and mortar, one day at a time.
-Channeling rage not toward people but into the work I’m doing.
-Being assertive.
-Being disciplined.
-Being a rational, logical decision-maker.
-Being strong, mentally and physically.
-Being a protector.
-Being a provider.
-Being a fighter, for my own morals and for the people around me.
Here are some ground rules:
We start with elimination. I am giving up pot, alcohol, porn, and binge eating for a year. It is time to step back and re-evaluate my relationship with these ‘problem areas’ in my life.
I will be moving out of my house and experiencing what it’s like to be a sovereign individual, for the first time in my life. The goal is to be uncomfortable. I have to deal with uncertainty while providing and caring for myself.
Three big priorities in my life at once. It’s time to focus and become great at 2-3 things rather than be decent at 5-6 things.
To tap into and channel my masculine energy, anger, and drive toward achieving big goals.
To avoid comfort like a plague. Lean into one uncomfortable task a day to redefine who I am daily and get used to making mistakes and failing.
To find men I look up to and learn from them. Men can learn to be powerful only by learning from other men.
To accept the inner rage, close loops with my inner child, and step into adulthood. It's time to become a monster who has that under voluntary control.
Why?
I don’t want to live my life in reverse as I see so many people living. I don’t want to waste my early 20s partying, and ‘discovering myself'. (If 'discovering myself' means making a bunch of stupid decisions)
I’d rather build something of my own and build some character.
The goal is freedom of time and location in my late 20s and 30s.
When I’m older, I don’t want to look in the mirror and see an overgrown child. I want to see someone who forgoes pleasure and comfort now for a more meaningful tomorrow.
I want to see someone who has a strong character, a good moral compass, somebody who is wise and successful. I want to see someone who loves his tribe and is loved by his tribe.
I don’t want to see someone who is lonely because his rage consumed him and destroyed every relationship.
Most of all, I want freedom. I don’t want to be tethered by vices. I want to be grounded by things that mean something一 family, community, and service.
I want to replace my dad in his role as a provider and protector.
Along the way, I have to learn from his mistakes and take a better shot at manhood than he did.
The day I have a beautiful partner and little buggers of my own, I’d want to lead, protect, provide, and love them better than anyone else could.
Our ancestors bore and raised a family in hopes that one day their kids, and grandkids will have what they didn’t.
Now that I have all the tools for success at my disposal, I’d be disgusted at myself if I throw it away.
The goal is to be the first man in my lineage to be a top 1% man in this world.
What?
Here are the metrics I’m trying to hit by 10/09/23:
Get in the best shape of my life: Weigh 80 kgs or over with less than 13% body fat.
Financial freedom: Earn Rs. 2 lakh/ month.
Content audience: 1k subs on Youtube, 200 readers on Subtack/Medium.