Latest news with #JosephCampbell
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
JAMES RAY: Children in this country are desperate for strong paternal role models. I'm on a mission to help men be the best fathers they can be
Children in this country are desperate for fathers to rise to the occasion. All the research indicates that a key determinant of a child's ability to flourish – to make a success of growing up – is having a father actively involved in his or her life; to have a decent dad in the picture. The affection of a father can prove one of the most authoritative things in a child's life. But we have to help father figures rise to the occasion to create stronger role models. Boys particularly crave male mentors. This has been my experience teaching kids in an elite boarding school and now ministering to less privileged young people in the communities I serve. As a man, more than anything I want to answer this summons. To step up for my own two boys, certainly. But I also want to step up by standing in as an honorary dad. In 2010, following the death of his father, Jean (then 14) and his mother asked me to adopt him. I accepted the honour. A child's need for a paternal presence goes very deep. In his 1949 study, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell identified a common structure to our most beloved stories. A key component of what Campbell called 'the hero's journey' – according to which a protagonist initially resists the adventure they've been summoned to – is the encounter with an older mentor, a wise guide. Think Yoda, the Jedi master in Star Wars, who gives Luke Skywalker all the encouragement and advice he needs to take on the dark side of the Force. But here's the catch: to be a wise sage you must first have been a hero. As a father, and indeed as a father-figure, an awful lot rides on 'whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life', in the words of David Copperfield. What does heroism require from men today? Of all the heroic attributes we could name, in our cultural context I think the most important one is integrity. Integrity, best defined as 'being the same in every room', matters because for many of us our greatest danger lies in compartmentalising our lives. You hear professionals complain about having a poor work–life balance. More problematic is what we might call a 'work-life chasm' – i.e. a yawning gulf between my public and private life. 'Over there is my job, my colleagues, my dreams', I catch myself thinking; 'over here is my marriage, my kids, my responsibilities'. But you run a risk when you so strictly demarcate the various roles you play. The temptation is being a different person with different people: doting father, cutthroat trader, loving husband, predatory colleague ('a real character'). 'I contain multitudes', boasted the American poet, Walt Whitman. I'm not sure that's a good thing. But what do you need if you are to turn out to be the hero of your own life? The answer, of course, is other heroes; being able to turn to other guys who've embarked on the same road. Here the hero's journey needs to incorporate the buddy-buddy trope of the best detective films – the partner who consoles and cajoles. My passion for this kind of peer support is why I founded the charity, XTREME CHARACTER CHALLENGE. Since 2017 we've taken thousands of men on 72-hour adventures in the wild – a kind of MOT for men, or DofE for dads. Stranded in Snowdonia, your phone confiscated, we've found that being physically exposed to the elements can precipitate being emotionally exposed to one another. A rare thing indeed: men opening up about their deepest insecurities, unspoken dreams, strongest temptations and greatest fears. What happens, though, if you systematically avoid your peers? If you try to go it alone? Well, in storytelling there's another intriguing archetype. Instead of becoming a hero, the protagonist who refuses to learn lessons becomes the fool. The fool's fate inverts the hero's journey. Everyone who embarks on the adventure of life brings weapons with them – namely, their skills and strengths. But we also bring our injuries – our weaknesses, our flaws, what Alcoholics Anonymous terms our 'character defects'. Becoming the hero of your own life hinges on your ability to recognise and then fix these flaws. It's the only way to overcome the enemy and win the reward. The coward finds his courage. The hothead finds his peace. The cheat becomes honest. The liar tells the truth. The egoist becomes sacrificial. The fool, by contrast, is someone who continually denies their character defects. Refusing to learn from their mistakes he is doomed to repeat them. Put differently, the fool is someone who refusing to grow up, is condemned to a Nietzschean 'eternal recurrence', but of a distinctly puerile kind. 'I don't want ever to be a man,' he said with passion. 'I want always to be a little boy and to have fun…' J.M. Barrie certainly thought he was writing a hero's story. But is he a dude or a dud, the 43-year-old man who still defines fun in exactly the same terms he did when he was 16 – wasted in a pub every weekend; or racking up snogs at second-rate festivals. I hate to break it to you: Peter Pan is no hero. Neverland is a fools' paradise. The young people of this great nation are too imperiled for men to fall for being fools. It's not just my own happiness that depends on my sticking to the script, on my seeing out the hero's journey. There are other people at stake. So much so, in fact, we can even say that the way to change the world that's most available to us as men, which is the nearest to hand, is to raise the children we have fathered – and perhaps those who live next door too. James Ray helps people realise their potential through his work as a leadership development consultant, a wilderness adventurer and a priest in the Church of England. His book RESPONSIBILITY: BECOMING THE AUTHENTIC MAN is out now.
Spectator
18 hours ago
- General
- Spectator
How to be a better father
Children in this country are desperate for fathers to rise to the occasion. All the research indicates that a key determinant of a child's ability to flourish – to make a success of growing up – is having a father actively involved in his or her life. Having a decent dad in the picture is vital. The affection of a father can prove one of the most authoritative things in a child's life. A million British children have no meaningful relationship or regular contact with their fathers We mustn't give up on that ideal. But nor should we ignore reality. A million British children have no meaningful relationship or regular contact with their fathers. Facing reality demands, I think, that we do more to help father-figures rise to the occasion too. Boys particularly crave male mentors. This has been my experience teaching kids in an elite boarding school and now working with less privileged young people in the communities I serve. As a man, more than anything I want to answer this summons. To step up for my own two boys. (I want to be the one who gets to raise the kids I've fathered). But also to stand in as an honorary dad. In 2010, following the death of his father, Jean (then 14) and his mother asked me to adopt him. I accepted the honour. A child's need for a paternal presence goes very deep. In his 1949 study, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell identified a common structure to our most beloved stories. A key component of what Campbell called 'the hero's journey' is the encounter between the protagonist (who initially resists the adventure he or she's been summoned to) and an older mentor, a wise guide. Think Yoda in Star Wars. The Jedi master gives Luke Skywalker all the encouragement and advice Luke needs to take on the dark side of the Force. But here's the thing: to be a wise sage you must first have been a hero. As a father, and indeed as a father-figure, an awful lot rides on 'whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life', in the words of David Copperfield. What does heroism require from men today? Of all the heroic attributes we could name, I think the most important is integrity. Integrity, best defined as 'being the same in every room', matters because for many of us the greatest temptation – and the greatest danger – is to compartmentalise our lives. Professionals complain about having a poor work–life balance. More problematic is what we might call a work-life chasm – i.e. a yawning gulf between my public and private life. 'Over there is my job, my colleagues, my dreams', I catch myself thinking; 'over here is my marriage, my kids, my responsibilities'. But you run a risk when you compartmentalise so carefully; when you so strictly demarcate the various roles you play. The risk of being a different person in different contexts: doting father, cutthroat trader, loving husband, predatory colleague ('a real character'). 'I contain multitudes', boasted the American poet, Walt Whitman. I'm not sure that's a good thing. What else do I need if I am to 'turn out to be the hero of my own life'? As well as a mentor I need a sidekick. I need other heroes; other men who've embarked on the journey; people prepared both to console and cajole me. In our culture, men often lack deep connections with other men. This is why I founded the charity, XTREME CHARACTER CHALLENGE. Since 2017, we've taken thousands of men on 72-hour adventures in the wild – a kind of MOT for men, or DofE for dads. Stranded in Snowdonia, phone confiscated, we've found that being physically exposed to the elements can precipitate being emotionally exposed to one another. A rare thing: men opening up about their deepest insecurities, unspoken dreams, greatest fears. What happens if you consistently avoid your peers? If you try to go it alone? In storytelling there's another intriguing archetype. Instead of becoming a hero, the protagonist who refuses to learn lessons becomes the fool. The fool's fate inverts the hero's journey. Everyone who embarks on the adventure of life brings weapons with them – namely, their skills and strengths. But we also bring our injuries – our weaknesses, our flaws, what Alcoholics Anonymous terms our 'character defects'. Becoming the hero of your own life hinges on your ability to recognise and then fix these flaws. It's the only way to overcome the enemy and win the reward. The coward finds his courage; the hothead his peace; the cheat becomes honest; the liar tells the truth; the egoist starts being sacrificial. The fool, by contrast, is someone who continually denies their character defects. Refusing to learn from his mistakes he stands doomed to repeat them. The fool is someone who refuses to grow up and is thereby condemned to eternal recurrence of a very puerile kind. ''I don't want ever to be a man,' he said with passion. 'I want always to be a little boy and to have fun…'' J.M. Barrie certainly thought he was writing a hero's story. But am I a dude or a dud if, aged 43, I define fun in exactly the same terms I did when I was 16 – wasted in Wetherspoons every weekend; racking up snogs at second-rate festivals. I hate to break it to you: Peter Pan is no hero. Neverland is a fools' paradise. Our young people need men to be heroes, not fools. So it's not just my own happiness that depends on my sticking to the script; on my seeing out the hero's journey. Other people's lives are at stake. Indeed, the way to change the world most available to us as men, the way which is nearest to hand, is to raise the children we have fathered – and perhaps the ones God has placed in our path.
The Independent
09-04-2025
- The Independent
Police researchers ‘diverted from inquests and litigation to Omagh bomb probe'
An inquest into the death of a police officer in 1977 is among cases to be effectively delayed for six months while police researchers are diverted to prepare for the Omagh Bombing Inquiry. A review hearing before an inquest into the death of Sergeant Joseph Campbell, who was shot dead outside Cushendall RUC station in February 1977, was told researchers will be diverted to the inquiry for around six months. Hearings in the Omagh inquiry resume in June. The development sparked frustration from coroner Patrick McGurgan and the family of Mr Campbell, including his widow Rosemary, who is 90. The review hearing was organised after correspondence from the Crown Solicitors Office on behalf of Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. Ian Skelt KC, counsel to the coroner, said it outlines that the PSNI position that 'no work can or will be done on cases other than the Omagh Bomb Inquiry regarding sensitive documentation for a period of at least six months'. Peter Coll KC, appearing for the PSNI, said the scope of the Omagh inquiry is 'extensive' and the force is a core participant and has for some time been working to address the requirements of the probe. 'Unfortunately that has resulted in the PSNI being placed in a position where they are required to make extremely difficult decisions about the allocation of available resources, and unfortunately there has been no option available to the Chief Constable that will not result in delay and adverse consequences in areas of legal work that the PSNI is otherwise involved in and that require consideration of sensitive material,' he said. 'So the police have tried to identify an option that will minimise that delay and disruption, and unfortunately they had to come to the conclusion that if significant additional resources were not temporarily applied and redirected to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, it could potentially be a number of years before the police would be able to provide the disclosure required to the inquiry in order to open the way for its next evidential hearings to take place. 'As a consequence the Chief Constable directed that as of March 10 of this year, all available researchers with the necessary skills and credentials to undertake sensitive research of the kind required to respond to the inquiry would be directed to that line of work. 'That would be instructed for a period of up to approximately six months from March 10. During that time it will not be feasible for sensitive research to be conducted by the PSNI in respect of other litigation or inquest-type matters.' He added that the PSNI says it is not funded to deal with the demand in relation to legacy-related work. Mr McGurgan said this will create a 'bottleneck' of sensitive material for a number of cases. He asked if there is a plan for producing the sensitive material for this inquest after the six-month diversion, and queried why the inquiry is being prioritised over the inquest. 'I just can't say we will revisit this in six months and then let's see what is happening – there needs to be something worked out,' he added. Mr Coll said officials might have to address where things stand at that point in terms of other pressures and cases. 'This is not territory that, unfortunately, sir, that you and I and others are strangers to,' he said, referring to the Legacy Act. Aidan McGowan, for the next of kin, said Mr Campbell's family are anxious and distressed at time proceedings are taking, and described the latest development as 'unacceptable'. He said Mrs Campbell and her daughter are watching proceedings remotely and have been to every hearing. 'In our submission it is not a fait accompli, it is a decision for you to make. It is your decision and we further submit that the approach that is being taken is not only generally unacceptable but unacceptable in the particular circumstances of this case in which Mrs Campbell is 90 years old,' he said. 'She has attended every preliminary hearing in this case and she just wants a date for this inquest which was directed 10 years ago in September 2015. 'If the PSNI want extra time to go through their processes, they should make an application to you to that effect, and if that is done then it is open to you to require the attendance of a senior police officer officer to come and attend and give evidence. 'There are a range of options open to the PSNI as to how to approach that, but none of those options, in our respectful submission, involves the PSNI unilaterally deciding which cases it is going to work on and which cases it doesn't work on, and that is particularly the case in an inquest such as this where collusion is an issue in an inquest.' Mr Campbell's family believe elements of the security forces colluded with now deceased UVF killer Robin Jackson to shoot Mr Campbell, a 49-year-old father of eight. It has been alleged that Mr Campbell, a Catholic officer originally from the Republic of Ireland, was potentially targeted because he had uncovered a loyalist arms-smuggling operation. A second inquest into the shooting, which the family have long campaigned for, began hearing evidence in March at Belfast Coroner's Court. It has since adjourned to allow further time for disclosure and security vetting of historical police and military files related to the killing. Lawyers for the PSNI and the next of kin are set to make submissions to the coroner on progressing the inquest. Another review hearing is set to take place on May 16.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police researchers ‘diverted from inquests and litigation to Omagh bomb probe'
An inquest into the death of a police officer in 1977 is among cases to be effectively delayed for six months while police researchers are diverted to prepare for the Omagh Bombing Inquiry. A review hearing before an inquest into the death of Sergeant Joseph Campbell, who was shot dead outside Cushendall RUC station in February 1977, was told researchers will be diverted to the inquiry for around six months. Hearings in the Omagh inquiry resume in June. The development sparked frustration from coroner Patrick McGurgan and the family of Mr Campbell, including his widow Rosemary, who is 90. The review hearing was organised after correspondence from the Crown Solicitors Office on behalf of Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. Ian Skelt KC, counsel to the coroner, said it outlines that the PSNI position that 'no work can or will be done on cases other than the Omagh Bomb Inquiry regarding sensitive documentation for a period of at least six months'. Peter Coll KC, appearing for the PSNI, said the scope of the Omagh inquiry is 'extensive' and the force is a core participant and has for some time been working to address the requirements of the probe. 'Unfortunately that has resulted in the PSNI being placed in a position where they are required to make extremely difficult decisions about the allocation of available resources, and unfortunately there has been no option available to the Chief Constable that will not result in delay and adverse consequences in areas of legal work that the PSNI is otherwise involved in and that require consideration of sensitive material,' he said. 'So the police have tried to identify an option that will minimise that delay and disruption, and unfortunately they had to come to the conclusion that if significant additional resources were not temporarily applied and redirected to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, it could potentially be a number of years before the police would be able to provide the disclosure required to the inquiry in order to open the way for its next evidential hearings to take place. 'As a consequence the Chief Constable directed that as of March 10 of this year, all available researchers with the necessary skills and credentials to undertake sensitive research of the kind required to respond to the inquiry would be directed to that line of work. 'That would be instructed for a period of up to approximately six months from March 10. During that time it will not be feasible for sensitive research to be conducted by the PSNI in respect of other litigation or inquest-type matters.' He added that the PSNI says it is not funded to deal with the demand in relation to legacy-related work. Mr McGurgan said this will create a 'bottleneck' of sensitive material for a number of cases. He asked if there is a plan for producing the sensitive material for this inquest after the six-month diversion, and queried why the inquiry is being prioritised over the inquest. 'I just can't say we will revisit this in six months and then let's see what is happening – there needs to be something worked out,' he added. Mr Coll said officials might have to address where things stand at that point in terms of other pressures and cases. 'This is not territory that, unfortunately, sir, that you and I and others are strangers to,' he said, referring to the Legacy Act. Aidan McGowan, for the next of kin, said Mr Campbell's family are anxious and distressed at time proceedings are taking, and described the latest development as 'unacceptable'. He said Mrs Campbell and her daughter are watching proceedings remotely and have been to every hearing. 'In our submission it is not a fait accompli, it is a decision for you to make. It is your decision and we further submit that the approach that is being taken is not only generally unacceptable but unacceptable in the particular circumstances of this case in which Mrs Campbell is 90 years old,' he said. 'She has attended every preliminary hearing in this case and she just wants a date for this inquest which was directed 10 years ago in September 2015. 'If the PSNI want extra time to go through their processes, they should make an application to you to that effect, and if that is done then it is open to you to require the attendance of a senior police officer officer to come and attend and give evidence. 'There are a range of options open to the PSNI as to how to approach that, but none of those options, in our respectful submission, involves the PSNI unilaterally deciding which cases it is going to work on and which cases it doesn't work on, and that is particularly the case in an inquest such as this where collusion is an issue in an inquest.' Mr Campbell's family believe elements of the security forces colluded with now deceased UVF killer Robin Jackson to shoot Mr Campbell, a 49-year-old father of eight. It has been alleged that Mr Campbell, a Catholic officer originally from the Republic of Ireland, was potentially targeted because he had uncovered a loyalist arms-smuggling operation. A second inquest into the shooting, which the family have long campaigned for, began hearing evidence in March at Belfast Coroner's Court. It has since adjourned to allow further time for disclosure and security vetting of historical police and military files related to the killing. Lawyers for the PSNI and the next of kin are set to make submissions to the coroner on progressing the inquest. Another review hearing is set to take place on May 16.
