The Natural Mystic of a Hero
High up in the hills of Jamaica, a true hero, in the noblest sense of the word was born. Nesta Robert Marley later known to most of the world as Bob Marley, began his Journey to become the voice that introduced the world to the mystic power of music. Globally his followers worship him almost as a god-like figure, but in mainstream western culture he tends to be easily dismissed as a pot smoking dread who had some cool songs. Not a man to be held up as a hero. I could not disagree more. Bob Marley qualifies as a hero on both a mythical and human level. The more I studied Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces the more I began to notice the connections between the mono myth and the life and work of Bob Marley. A true journey of conviction and courage to transcendence.
Humble Beginings
Rising from humble begings yet guided by his talent and an inborn mysticism. Marley fits perfectly into the archetypal motif described by Campbell. Born in a tiny shack in the back hills of Jamaica, Bob grew up first as a barefoot country boy, in a well hidden paridice far from the getto. As a young boy he longed for the nurturing of his mother and was regularly seen reading other's palms and giving insight to friends lives that recognized his uniqueness very early on. I do believe Bob could of felt the call to adventure at this early age, close one's describe him as an old soul. As a young teen he feels the need to leave his wonderful world in the Blue mountains and makes his way to the getto style living in Kingston.
The Call to Adventure
Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change. Seeking a way to deal with the hardships of getto living, as well as abandonment by his father and sometimes mother, Marley finds himself in the midst of the "Concrete...