In Pursuit of the Equiphant
Every generation of man has had its heroes. Real heroes, fantasy heroes, even heroes that we've never determined to be real or fantasy. They have been hunters, orators, gladiators, soldiers, senators, and kings. They have inspired entire nations, even empires. Some have led us to glorious heights, and others to abysmal ruin. They have inspired their followers to sublime levels of courage and achievement, or, in some cases, to the bitter depths of terror and cruelty. We will always have our heroes because hero worship, just as in religious worship, reveals a part of ourselves to ourselves that we can only discover by looking up.
Like navigators at sea we plot our course according to these 'stars' that represent the destination we seek. These stars rule over our destination by virtue of having arrived there before us, and having shined their light so brightly that it has illuminated the trail they blazed to get there.
This is the tale of my own personal star, the Equiphant, a star of exceeding luminosity for it has captured and reflected the light of many stars, and by way of some mysterious alchemy shone down for me a light so pure and profound that it has transformed the vision that I held for my life, and dazzled my mind in such a way that it refuses to be still until, like a mirror it reflects this light in such a way that many others might be illuminated by it as well.
The Equiphant, as with many other hero types, is a compilation; not just of human qualities, but of cultures and of epochs. The Equiphant is equally Taoist and Stoic, Asian and Greco-Roman, and, to a certain extent, it is American as it draws extensively from the New Thought Movement that took America by storm at the turn of the twentieth century.
As you can see, the Equiphant is comprised of many things, which begs the question, what is the Equiphant really? What are his defining characteristics? And most importantly, if he is found worthy of attainment, can he be attained? I find that the best way to describe a hero is not by listing his powers and his virtues, which are frequently to numerous to mention, but by observing his observances; his practices, if you will. If I were to describe a man as being kind hearted, gentle, and a very good listener, I would be describing any number of people in the world. However, if I went on to say that he prays the Rosary daily, performs the Eucharist three times a week, and hears confession every Saturday then it becomes clear that I am describing a Roman Catholic priest. In the same way I could describe the Equiphant as being a calm and tranquil person, not easily aroused to anger who manages to take everything in stride and even empowers everyone around him by means of his virtue and equanimity. And yet, I might have just described a Taoist, a Stoic, a Zen master, or a Hopi shaman. So you see, it is not his qualities that define the the hero, but rather his principles and his practices.
What is it then that defines the Equiphant; that separates him from the Taoist sage, the Stoic philosopher, or the Hopi shaman. Is the Equiphant more 'Tao' than the Taoist? Is he maybe more stoic than the Stoic? I would argue that he is neither and he is both. He is the Taoist seeing the Tao through the Stoic's eyes, and he is the Stoic seeing stoicism through the Taoist's eyes, and having partaken of the fruit of both of these venerable traditions he has fused them together by a sort of internal alchemy into something that he sees to be greater than the sum of its parts; something that promises to shine brighter and to fulfil more than its ancestors had ever dared to hope. It is this internal alchemy that I will endeavor to present to you now.
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