25. Mythoscapes

Mythoscapes are networks of myths bundled together that play a decisive role in shaping identity. Whether as foundational as someone's hometown, or something more fluid like a hobby, Mythoscapes are all the parts that make up a complex whole.

Man, Controller of the Universe, Diego Rivera, 1934

Each person's Realm of Freedom is strongly influenced by the Mythoscapes they subscribe to. Mythoscapes contain their own Dominant Realms, with unwritten rules and beliefs often taken for granted that influence what someone perceives as good, reasonable, or correct.

Of course, this doesn't mean people are entirely defined by their Mythoscapes. Everyone is complicated, and there's a particularly notable difference between intentional and automatic agreement. More often than not, folks will eventually run into the situation where two contradictory Mythoscapes need to be reconciled. That challenge might expose someone to reconsider a familiar Mythoscape from the outside, they might exit it entirely, or they may simply have a broader understanding of what other perspectives exist. Like I said, people are complicated. Regardless, it's probably more accurate to say that people are defined by their evolving relationships with the Mythoscapes they (currently or previously) subscribe to.

IN OTHER WORDS... Even though Troy Bolton from High School Musical was a born and raised basketball player, we can't just chalk him up to the stereotype of those who play that sport. He had to reconsider a lot of those common assumptions after joining the drama club and ultimately found value in both. Because of these experiences however, we are able to glean some sense of what internal debates he might have and how he might approach the world.

Types

Mythoscapes come in all shapes and sizes, which greatly affect their malleability. For how long has it been part of someone's life? Is it rooted in social connection or personal identification? How rigid are the norms associated with it? All of these crucially determine the level of flexibility one has to shift the boundaries of a particular Mythoscape while still being part of it.

I'm not sure if there can be a perfect representation of this, since Mythoscapes can have fluid meanings for different people, but hopefully this gets us started?

Self Mythoscapes

Self Mythoscapes are core to someone's identity - they're essentially demographics. It's difficult to jump in or out of these, though the personal nature allows for quite a bit of flexibility in how someone interprets their own relationship with the Mythoscape. Even within this category alone, there is great variation: some are assigned at birth (Race), some change naturally with time (Age), and some can be discovered at a certain point in life (Sexuality).

Club Mythoscapes

Club Mythoscapes are those forged when people come together. Since they require some form of collective agreement to function, deviance from the invisible contract might mean you are no longer perceived as a "member of the club" by others. Can you still be Religious if you do not go to church? Sometimes, sometimes not. Especially when club membership comes automatically, like that for American citizens, the associated Mythoscape serves as a reminder of the shared beliefs and values.

World Mythoscapes

World Mythoscapes are those that describe the basic systems of how we rationalize everything around us. No matter someone's background, there is some shared universal understanding for what it means to evaluate Knowledge or form Connection with other people. These Mythoscapes are likely the most difficult to adjust, as they cover such foundational processes so deeply embedded in social participation.

Weaponization

In contrast to how Myths can justify beliefs, Mythoscapes help set the Realm Enforcers by legitimizing entire systems of thought to stand up institutions and cultures. Yet like Myths themselves, there is immense potential for Power through assumption. If you tinker with the margins of computer code - nothing drastic, same filename - how long before anyone notices?

Mythoscapes are bound to adjust over time. They may be forced to reckon with new situations or technology. While these new directions can be decided collectively, or in good faith by authority figures... they can also be a product of Appropriation to satisfy some other interest. Appealing to the heart of a given Mythoscape can often buy enough goodwill from its subscribers to allow for significant change.