Bill Hatcher's heroic journey took him all the way to Tanzania. He currently is participating in Leighton Center's "Awakening Our Personal Heroes and Heroines," a seminar aimed at self-discovery.
Journey abroad led to insight on self-discovery
OUR FAMILIES
By HOWARD DUKES
Tribune Staff Writer
Caption: Bill Hatcher makes a point during the "Awakening Our Personal Heroes and Heroines" seminar at the Leighton Center in South Bend. Tribune Photo/SHAYNA BRESLIN
SOUTH BEND -- Some people can go on a hero's journey without leaving home.
Bill Hatcher's heroic journey took him all the way to Tanzania.
He currently is participating in Leighton Center's "Awakening Our Personal Heroes and Heroines," a seminar aimed at self-discovery.
Rosemary Cox, coordinator of Memorial Hospital's SAGE-ing Center and the seminar's facilitator, explains that the first phase for those who want to make that heroic journey is to recognize and confront matters that need addressing in their lives -- such as a difficult relationship or past failure.
In the second phase, they take action to meet the challenge.
"The last stage of the journey is the return -- where we have looked through things and we have come out being a better person, closer to our true selves," Cox said. That's heroic.
For many people, the journey is metaphorical. But for Hatcher, who recently moved to Buchanan from Illinois, the process paralleled a physical journey.
The call
Hatcher's call to the journey came during his senior year at Southern Illinois University. A geography major, Hatcher looked toward a future that was filled with promise and questions.
"It was a time in my life when everything was changing," Hatcher, a 1994 SIU graduate, said. "I was not real sure (about) what I was going to do."
While Hatcher was dealing with questions about his professional life, a long-term relationship came to an end. So Hatcher had a lot of questions and few answers.
"I did know that I wanted to learn more about the world," Hatcher added.
The journey
Graduation day was approaching, and Hatcher still didn't know what he would do after receiving his degree.
Hatcher had a feeling that he wanted a career in outdoor education. He had worked as a volunteer with an outdoor education program sponsored by the YMCA near his college.
Then he saw a promotion for the Peace Corps. Hatcher decided to join after doing research on the agency and reading testimonials from Peace Corps alumni.
His assignment took him to Tanzania, where he taught geography at a girls school.
"In the Peace Corps, as with any long trip you take, you learn more about how you fit into the bigger picture," Hatcher said.
Rosemary Cox, coordinator of Memorial Hospital's SAGE-ing Center, leads the self-discovery seminar.
He worked in a part of the African nation where residents didn't have utilities, running water or sanitation.
"Those are the kinds of things people in this country would be up in arms over, but (the Tanzanians) just tightened their belts and went on with their lives."
For Hatcher, going on meant turning his attention to trekking and climbing mountains in his free time.
The heroic return
After his experience in the Peace Corps, Hatcher knew he had to pursue a career in outdoor education. He made the jump and never looked back.
"I have worked in outdoor education for about 10 years," Hatcher said.
For most of that time, Hatcher worked for somebody else. Now, he's started his own company, TriadVentures. Hatcher will lead people on nature treks in hopes that the serenity of nature will encourage self-awareness along with awareness and appreciation of nature.
Cox said Hatcher went through the three-phase hero's journey without even knowing it. She added that most people who embark on their journey won't end up in Africa or Asia. Many may not even leave their communities.
But the same forces that guided Hatcher from Southern Illinois to Tanzania and back to the United States are at work for everyone who takes a hero's journey.
The 12 archetypes
In the Leighton course, Hatcher and his six classmates study archetypes as guides on the journey to self-awareness.
Discussion of archetypes dates back to the time of Plato.
The modern-day concept of archetypes was refined by psychologist Carl Jung, who described archetypes as "ancient images of our unconscious."
For example, we visualize a mother or a nurse or anyone who has the qualities of compassion and patience when we consider the archetypical caregiver -- one of the 12 archetypes that seminar participants are learning about.
Very different images come to mind when we consider the others: the innocent, the orphan, the caregiver, the warrior, the seeker, the destroyer, the creator, the lover, the ruler, the magician, the fool and the sage.
All are present in each of us -- aspects of our personalities.
Cox says that's why there is really an unlimited array of archetypes.
And even those we often associate with negative behavior can indeed provide positive direction when we understand ourselves and stay true to our journey.
For example, Hatcher's "destroyer" guided him in defeating his fears about a lack of direction after college and put him on course to a rewarding career.
Staff writer Howard Dukes:
hdukes@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6369
