A myth is something you believe that is not really based in truth, yet you believe it. For example, Christian children are taught the myth of Santa Claus and for a few precious years, they need to believe that a white bearded man in a sleigh is really going to fly through the air on Christmas Eve, leaving presents under beautifully decorated Christmas trees. Less spectacular myths are, “I never thought I would get fired,” or “I always thought I would be happy living in this house, but I’m not”, or “I never thought I would get ill.” A myth, in other words, is a type of “temporary truth” that we hang our hat on for a certain length of time (sometimes an entire lifetime), until something comes along that shatters the myth. That’s when the part of our world that was directly sustained by that myth comes tumbling down. This evening’s lecture will discuss seven myths that most people hold to be true but of course, they are not.
In this lecture I will:
- Present the seven most popular myths shared by most of us and discuss why they are so popular
- Discuss what happens in a person’s life when each of these myths breaks down
- Describe what replaces those myths
