A Mythic and Heroic International Assignment
I just read this Reuters article about how nearly half the workers around the world (varying a bit by country) would consider living and working abroad. The article in itself was fairly interesting, but for some reason – I don’t know, maybe my kid was watching Star Wars recently — I couldn’t help but see the article and the statistics it presented in something of a mythic scope. In many ways, for the times we’re living in, an international work assignment is a modern uptake of the classic Hero’s Journey. Behold and marvel!
From Wikipedia: “The hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve a great gift or ‘boon.’ The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world.”
DEPARTURE:
The boss calls and asks if you’re open to an international assignment, The Call to Adventure. Reflectively, you answer “Yes.” Selfish thoughts of adventure, promotions and increased pay are bubbling to the fore. As the excitement settles, reality sets in—leaving family, friends, the comfort of the known and familiar. A personal crisis ensues. You don’t think you have what it takes to accept the challenge, you contemplate a Refusal of the Call. Then, as if by divine providence you meet a Supernatural Aid, that wise elder, parent, friend or senior partner who offers up the golden nuggets of insight that compel you to answer the call to adventure. You pack your suitcase and laptop, brave the visa and immigration process, the long international flight and arrive in a new land, The Crossing of the First Threshold. Filled with high hopes, you step off the plane and immediately are cast into The Belly of the Whale, assaulted by new sights, smells and sounds. It’s pouring rain, you can’t get a taxi, and no one understands a word you’re saying. Your stomach suddenly drops with the feeling that this is going to be much harder than you imagined. Your adventure has officially begun!
INITIATION:
Your first few weeks on the job seem like a Road of Trials, as everywhere you turn, every moment offers up a new test or challenge. You persevere, but admittedly fail more than you have in years. You miss home. Struggling to adjust to a new culture, routine and workplace has you at your wits end. You’re close to calling it quits, when suddenly, this new culture offers you a truly inspiring insight into the nature of life and the depth of your own capacities. You experience the proverbial Meeting with the Goddess. You emerge focused and inspired, and you’ll need to be. At this point in the assignment your new found confidence opens you to the world of wonderment that the host country resembles – a Host of Temptations before you. You begin to love your adopted land too much and fall into a pattern of indulgence. One too many cups of sakes, pitchers of beers or glasses of wine become the norm. Who would have ever thought that karaoke could be this much fun and late night street food so delicious? Suddenly, you’re the life of the party, the most popular kid in school and you go overboard in your enthusiasm. Your boss, a long time expat, clearly sees what’s happening to you. He was once there himself. Now the wise elder, he asks you to lunch, shows you the error of your ways and offers you a chance of Atonement.
The not so subtle dress-down from your boss proves mortifying. He was right. You’d fallen into indulgence, took your eye off the goal, let the team and company down, and ultimately behaved in a selfish and immature fashion. You’re a bit ashamed and for the next several weeks you keep your nose to the grindstone. You’re going through a change. You start to think about what you really want from life, this assignment, and the kind of person you want to be. You’re going through an Apotheosis of sorts and the immature and selfish parts of you are beginning to die off. Over the course of the next few months, you rebuild your image from that of expat partygoer, to a person of real integrity and commitment. And it’s just in time as the culmination of a massive project is approaching and the single most important reason why you were given this opportunity. But you’re ready for the challenge, rise to the occasion, integrate all that you’ve learned about being effective in this foreign culture, lead your team with great skill and selflessness, and completely ace the job. All the potential your boss back home saw in you, and the entire reason you were chosen for this assignment has paid off. You have attained The Ultimate Boon.
RETURN:
That night, a great party ensues. You’re the hero of the day. Your mission accomplished. Yet, off in a corner of the restaurant, you are privately gripped by melancholy. The great focus that has driven your life for this past year is now over and the time to return home is at hand. You’ve made such good friends in this new land and have come to love it. Truly, as the adage suggests, life in pursuit of a great challenge is more fulfilling than its attainment. When your boss approaches with a new promotion and a first class ticket home you accept with gratitude, but little joy, and contemplate a Refusal of the Return. You are now an expat – a person not fully of one place or another, perhaps you’ve even identified as a truly multicultural individual. The time has come, you must return home to start your new life: the inevitable Crossing of the Return Threshold. The trick now, as you return to the world of the old and familiar, is to maintain all about you that is new and recreated, to be a Master of the Two Worlds. Who would of thought that taking that international assignment would have proved to be such a heroic endeavor and instilled you with the Freedom to Live?
Adam
RW3 CultureWizard
The 