Most certainly, significant and valuable lessons on how to approach life can be found in man's mythologies.  And we do not need to see these mythologies as being sacred to acknowledge their importance.  We do not need to see the mythic texts as the literal word of God, or a god, to recognize their capacity to guide us through the experience of being human.  Suffice it to say that anytime we can find a life lesson well taught, we should be prepared to learn.

     Certain passages in the literatures that convey our western mythology have a particular power.  The life lessons these passages capture are timeless.  The purpose of this book is not to focus on the works of literature so much, but rather on these particular passages and the lessons they instill.  Indeed, the selected passages may not be those of greatest literary significance.  They do, however, present much for us to consider in the form of lessons that speak directly to the human experience.  They also have a further common thread; each passage, in its own way, tells us that to grow, to fulfill our potential, "to follow our bliss," as Campbell lies to say, we reach moments of sacrifice when we have to decide what we value most.