The Blogger Crosses the Threshold, Finishes P1, and Reflects On His Journey

“Is the system going to eat you up and relieve you of your humanity, or are you going to be able to use the system to human purposes?”

-Joseph Campbell

In his seminal PBS interview with journalist Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell distinguished between two variants of the Hero’s Journey myth. The more widespread account traces the heroic scion who sets off on a mission to perform a superhuman feat, yet equally compelling is the alternate narrative of the knowledge-seeker who sets off to acquire divine enlightenment and returns to civilization to impart his wisdom. In forging its own contemporary mythology, INSEAD relies extensively on the leifmotifs of this second variant, imbuing the liminal MBA journey with pedagogical hurdles both real and imagined. According to Campbell, “The hero must cross the threshold between the world he is familiar with and that which he is not. Often this involves facing a ‘threshold guardian’, an entity that works to keep all within the protective confines of the world but must be encountered in order to enter the new zone of experience.^” Surviving this trial by fire process contributes to a shared sense of identity and kinship among INSEAD alumni who not surprisingly chose the insignia of François the First’s mythical fire-breathing salamander as their emblem. In ancient lore, this salamander was believed to be at home when surrounded by flames, and as MBAs we are expected to develop a thick skin to withstand the fierce demands of both the program and our future business careers.

The danger about which Joseph Campbell warns, is the surrender of our personality and sense of self in the process. The challenge in P1 lies in the inner struggle in which we fight to maintain a balance amidst the pressures and chaos. Did I succeed in avoiding the perils? For me the journey was not without its price. I pushed my physiological and mental self beyond healthy limits, and I spent the break recovering. I have made it past the threshold guardian, but at what cost?

The answer may depend on where my journey leads from here. Next stop: Rebirth.

The Blogger Finishes His First 2 Exams

I’m sitting on the second floor of the library looking out at the tree canopy which surrounds INSEAD’s Fontainebleau campus and marks the boundary of the Fontainebleau National Forest. Today we wrote the first 2 of 5 final exams for the P1 semester. I feel average about both of them. In INSEAD-speak that’s good. Because grading is relative, you only need to perform at or slightly above the mean. Another 1.5 days of exams, and then I’m off to London for the break by air on the aeronautical SUV. I would have preferred to take the Eurostar train, but it was more expensive. The December 2008 promotion will be in Fontainebleau next weekend for their admitted participant open house weekend. Suffice it to say that none of us will be around on campus. We’ll all be on vacation, detoxing from P1 and mustering the courage to face P2. I’ll see you all on the other side of the tunnel…

The Blogger Shares His Exam Stress Reducing Positive Thinking Daily Affirmation

To cope with the stress of my P1 INSEAD exams, I have written a personal affirmation based loosely on the touchy-feely “pink bubble” approach in Shakti Gawain’s book Creative Visualization. According to the book, you’re supposed to conclude your personal affirmation by reciting the words: “This, or something better is now manifesting for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways, for the highest good of all concerned“, but I just can’t bring myself to say something so cheesy. I hope it still works even without the hocus-pocus incantation. My affirmation focuses on building confidence in solving practice finance and statistics problems on the sample exams.

My Daily Affirmation

I work through all the practice problems and therefore I understand the material.

I am capable of answering all of the exam questions and understanding all of the concepts.

When I get stuck on a point, I ask questions, and I make sure that I understand.

The guy who works at the INSEAD bar drives a cool red jeep and is always smiling. I have so many more opportunities in life than him, therefore I have no worries.

Everyone graduates.

Breathe.

The Blogger Enjoys The Weekend Before Hunkering Down For Exams

My partner came for a visit this week, so we ventured to Paris for the weekend. I snapped the picture you see above in the menswear department at Galleries Lafayette. Zen and the art of shopping. The man on the right took great offense to my photography. I’m not sure if he was upset that I took his picture, or whether he felt that I shouldn’t have photographed the Buddhist monk. Whatever. It’s a public place. If the monk had wanted privacy, then he shouldn’t meditate in the middle of a department store!

On Saturday night we met up with other INSEAD students and explored the Nuit Blanche festivities in Paris. Nuit Blanche is an all night festival in which museums and other cultural venues stay open all night with special activities for the public. The Tuillerie Gardens adjacent to the Louvre was taken over by a performance art troupe that dressed up in scruffy suits, giving them an Oliver Twist/homeless person look. They filled the Gardens with flaming torches and manipulated tall steel cauldrons to shoot flames towards the sky, causing spectators to Ooohh and Aaahhh with delight. The homeless bum in a suit performance artist theme was also evident at a church next to the Pompidou Centre, where they had a man with a ponytail wearing a strap-on device with flashing lights making strange noises.

Only two weeks remain until the end of the first Period. Time to start the mad dash before exams. No more parties, no more going out. All studying, all the time. Amen.