Chaze
Jedi
"Everything that makes Power and the good consciences of those in power uncomfortable... This is Marcos." -Subcomandante Marcos
Since my earliest memories from childhood, I have always been fascinated by "heroes". Like many children, my imagination was encompassed with heroic tales, often pretending that I myself was a hero in my own playful and imaginary world. All of the books I read and movies I watched seemed to revolve around "good guys" standing against the forces of the "bad guys". Growing into adolescence, this childlike captivation didn't seem to fade nor waver. Instead, it sent me into countless endeavors to discover real life heroes and heroines. I wanted to see the mystical essence of heroism mirrored into the world around me. Along this undertaking, I discovered there were MANY modern and past time people who could fit this criteria.. From profound artists and musicians who used their artistry to express revolutionary ideas, to historic religious and political figures who amassed such significance that their stories echoed throughout generations, even centuries. But within my search for such influential people, I serendipitously stumbled upon a very unique situation that was taking place in the Southeastern region of Mexico, predominately localized within Chiapas. There was a struggle taking place of universal importance, between the corrupt Mexican Neoliberal Empire (of that era) against a band of guerrillas who called themselves the EZLN.. Or better known as the "Zapatistas". There was a particular person whom stood out to me, naturally, as this person was the spokesman for the Zapatista struggle. This man was called Subcomandante Marcos. His face covered beneath a balaclava with his trademark classic bent tobacco pipe protruding, speaking with such eloquence and tremendously empowering poetical manner, the mysteriousness of his character was all the enchantment I needed to pursue further investigation.
I needed to understand this struggle, and why it seemed to be so different from all of the other revolutionary guerrilla uprisings against Capitalism and the U.S. Empire Expansion Program. Their politics were unusual to me, seeming to set themselves apart from most of the older Marxist rebellions I had vehemently studied. They didn't seem to want to rise up and overthrow the current government just to impose their own politics, but rather rise up for the cause of their own existence, their place in the world, their culture, their history. The armed uprising during the inception of this movement was very short lived, leading to many casualties, but lead to the opening of another form of warfare.. The only form of warfare that seems to work in favor of success for being in such an underdog position.. The war of WORDS and AWARENESS. I discovered that the Subcomandante had authored many communiques, most of which had been compiled into a few books. I ordered all that I could afford at that time. The first of his works I found in my possession was a book titled, "Our Word Is Our Weapon". From the moment I cracked this beautiful work of art and history open, I realized that I couldn't put it down!!!! Never had I FELT vicariously (to that degree) another's struggle for freedom and desire to organically exist and evolve as I did while intellectually and emotionally soaking in the ink printed on to those pages. It ignited a wildfire inside of me, inspiring me to carefully consider what I could take from this work and translate into my own way of life.
Now while I am not going to give a full synopsis on the history of the Zapatistas, nor am I going to write out an entire autobiography on Subcomandante Marcos either, (there are numerous literary bodies of work you can find on these subjects, and if you need a quick read to further grasp a deeper understanding of exactly who Marcos is, I suggest you grab a copy of "Subcomandante Marcos: Global Rebel Icon" by Nick Henck) what I am going to do is attempt to correlate this man's enigmatic character with what the title of this essay suggests: Is he a modern day personified version of what Joseph Campbell described in his book, "The Hero With A Thousand Faces"? (How ironically relatable this fits in with the fact that he covers his identity with a mask... But for purpose of symbolic depth, as he explains in the following quote:)
"As to whether Marcos is gay: Marcos is gay in San Francisco, black in South Africa, an Asian in Europe, a Chicano in San Ysidro, an anarchist in Spain, a Palestinian in Israel, a Mayan Indian in the streets of San Cristobal, a Jew in Germany, a Gypsy in Poland, a Mohawk in Quebec, a pacifist in Bosnia, a single woman on the Metro at 10pm, a peasant without land, a gang member in the slums, an unemployed worker, an unhappy student and, of course, a Zapatista in the mountains." - Marcos
Now as many of you here may already be familiar with the story of the Monomyth, (personally, I find Laura's book 8 of "The Wave" series as the most crystal clear defining of this term that I have read to date, but obviously you can just read Joseph Campbell's books for reference) I want to compare notes that seem to link Marcos with the likes of the Monomyth.
First, let's look at this quote from Campbell (I'll be using Laura's book "Debugging The Universe" for source and reference as that's what I have on my desk at the moment) as it goes: "The adventure of the hero normally follows the pattern of... a separation from the world, a penetration to some source of power, and a life-enhancing return... the really creative acts are represented as those deriving from some sort of dying to the world..." Now I want us to compare that quotation to some of the facts of Marcos' life. In August of 1984, Rafael Guillén (Marcos real name) leaves behind a life of prestige as a teacher at Mexico City's UNAM (where he also submitted an award-winning graduation thesis that completed his undergraduate studies) to begin his training as a rural guerrilla amongst the FLN's Chiapas wing. (The predecessor organization to the EZLN) He fell off the face of the planet, so-to-speak, in order to pursue a cause. But let's continue. After two years of training, he was promoted to the rank of subcomandante. Still hidden within the mountains of the Lacandon jungle, away from all facets of civilization, he continued to train and strategize there for a further 8 years until finally making the preemptive move to expose their movement on the early morning of January 1, 1994. (The day that NAFTA was set into motion) After reading Campbell's quote above, can you see the correlation?
Further from Campbell: "The return and reintegration with society, which is indispensable to the continuous circulation of spiritual energy into the world, and which, from the standpoint of the community, is the justification of the long retreat, the hero himself may find the most difficult requirement of all... there is danger that the bliss of this experience may annihilate all recollection of, interest in, or hope for, the sorrows of the world; or else the problem of making known the way of illumination to people wrapped in economic problems may seem too great to solve. And on the other hand, if the hero, instead of submitting to all the initiatory tests, like Prometheus, simply darted to his goal (by violence, quick device, or luck) and plucked the boon for the world that he intended, then the powers that he unbalanced may react so sharply that he will be blasted from within and without..." Standing alongside low-level, low grade combatants with miniscule means of offense/defense in opposition to the much mightier weapons and numbers within the factions of the Mexican military, they made their stand regardless. Surely, this meant doom. And for the most part, it did. The EZLN was ravaged, forced to retreat after engaging in temporary battle, but the message had been sent. There was hope for the indigenous people in those communities. Heroes and Heroines had arisen, fighting for their right to exist, and they were willing to do whatever it took to see to it. Even at the cost of their own lives. But, as fate would have it, Marcos survived and used his adept skills in discourse and communication, writing, and relatability to the sympathetic values of others who faced their own struggles worldwide. This drew attention, eyes from every corner of the world, forcing into view the horrific nature and modalities of tyranny being carried out by their government. They had to seize their attacks, for the most part, in order to try and cover up the mess they had found themselves in. Marcos had done what few, if any, (that I am currently aware of) had been able to do. He succeeded in ending most means of violence, over an extended period of time, (although low-grade warfare continued via paramilitary forces for some time) and fight the fight with words, with knowledge, with awareness of the situation, globally, in hopes that the cause he so stood for could garner enough support to no longer have to live a life of militaristic fashion. And although the war hasn't been entirely won, it hasn't been lost, either. The Zapatistas still survive to this day, still working towards creating a place for themselves in a new world, a world where they are allowed to exist... Without corruption, exploitation, genocide, and sorrow. A world where everyone fits.
One last quote from Campbell: "[The "Call To Adventure"] signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown. This fateful region of both treasure and danger may be variously represented: as a distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky... but it is always a place of strangely fluid and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments, superhuman deeds..." I could continue on, but I hope that this short "thesis" is enough to generate awareness not only to the Zapatista struggle, but also to the unique struggles we all face during these trying times. And whether you like or dislike the man known as Marcos, it was his character for me personally; it was what he stood for and represented (and still currently does, if he is even still alive) that sparked the flame within my own being to believe, just as he did/does, that we too can become heroes/heroines in our own stories, in our own unique ways, and possibly... JUST POSSIBLY... Strive to create a world we we all can exist without being subjugated and exploited. I don't know if that falls under "wishful thinking" or not, but I do know that the mere idea makes me wake up and strive to be the best version of me as possible, for the sake of us all. He is the inspiration for why I have embarked on my own "heroic journey", and although his life and deeds aren't necessarily a "blueprint", per se, they're something better. They're an IDEA. And what we do with ideas such as these.. Are simply up to us.
"Brothers and sisters: The flower of the word will not die. The masked face that today has a name may die, but the word that came from the depth of history and the earth can no longer be cut by Power's arrogance. We were born of the night. We live in the night. We will die in her. But tomorrow the light will be for others, for all those who today weep at the night, for those who have been denied the day, for those for whom death is a gift, for those who are denied life. The light will be for all of them. For everyone, everything. For us, pain and anguish. For us, the joy of rebellion. For us, a future denied. For us, the dignity of insurrection. For us, nothing." - Marcos
It is my belief that you can be whatsoever you wish to be. Our definitions of words and terms could vary, but we can all still carry out a common goal. I want to see you proud of who are, and I want you to realize that you are absolutely capable of being the “hero” of your own story. You’re writing it every day. And so long as we stay connected, I’ll do my best to share what I have with you to keep you motivated to succeed in that!
