The Power of The Chosen One

What if you were the chosen one?

What if you were the one destined to change everything?

That your life isn’t like everyone else's, that your purpose is something more important, more profound.

That you are part of a prophecy destined to come true, destined to change everything.

These are the characteristics we commonly associate with the idea of the chosen one.

It’s an idea that resonates deeply with the majority of people.

But why?

We see it all the time in movies and in literature.

Dune: Part 2 is the most recent example of this.

We see Paul Atreides ascend and embrace his role as the Kwisatz Haderach, a prophesied messianic figure brought about by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood's breeding program.

But that’s not all.

Among the freman on Aracus, he is also seen as the Lisan al-Gaib or the "Voice from the Outer World." 

This is a messianic figure in Fremen legend, prophesied to lead them to freedom and to transform Arrakis into something akin to earth, with plants, life, and water.

Or in other words, paradise, as said by Paul himself.

Paul is also identified as the Mahdi, a term borrowed from Islamic eschatology, referring to a prophesied redeemer who will lead humanity to a just society before the end of the world.

We see Paul resist his visions for the majority of both Dune: Part 1 and Part 2, but in the end he succumbs to what is clearly his destiny.

Depending on the point of view you take on the movie and the universe of Dune, Paul is the chosen one, destined to walk ‘the golden path’ as they see it in the movie.

On the other hand, you could also say Paul’s destiny is the result of careful manipulation and mass psychosis by the Bene Gesserit, carefully guiding Paul’s every step forward.

However, regardless of how we get there, Paul does become the chosen one, he embodies a messiah-like figure with immense power and responsibility.

But the story of Paul in Dune isn’t the only one of cultural significance to make its way to the big screen in recent history.

In one of my favourite movies of all time, The Matrix see’s Neo ‘The One’ embark on a journey of uncovering the real-world and his place in it as the person destined to end the war between the humans and the machines.

Of course, there is scepticism, Only Morpheus and and his followers believe Neo is the chosen one, 

Most of the other humans in the real-world find it hard to come to terms with.

Unlike Dune, The matrix is more about Neo discovering who he is, and less about him simply fulfilling a prophecy. 

Neo carries a lot of doubt throughout the majority of the first movie, unsure if he actually is what Morpheus claims him to be.

But by the end of the first movie, we see Neo resurrected after being killed by smith and accept his fate as the chosen one,

He starts to believe in the prophecy, let’s go of everything holding him back, and transcends himself.

He becomes the one, destined to change everything.

But this doesn’t end at Neo

In Harry Potter series, Harry is known as "The Boy Who Lived," marked by prophecy to be the one to defeat Voldemort.

We see Harry grow and discover his identity, 

We see him confront his past, his prophecy, and what it all really means.

And we see him sacrifice himself for what he believes is the greater good,

And while he might not have known it at the time, his sacrifice rids him of the part of voldemort living inside of him, and he is then resurrected to be triumphant, fulfilling his destiny and defeating voldemort.

He proves the prophecy was real, and he was indeed the chosen one.

In Star Wars, the story of Anakin is probably the most blatant example of the chosen one.

Prior to Anakin’s ascension, the prophecy states:

"A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."

It was believed the Chosen One would bring an end to the Sith and restore harmony to the Force.

Anakin had a mysterious birth, with no biological father.

To the Jedi, he had all the characteristics of  ‘The Chosen One’, and was believed to be a force for good, 

but this brings me to the key point of the arc of the chosen one and something all these stories have in common.

Suffering.

In Dune Messiah, we see Paul become a much darker and destructive figure while suffering the consequences and pain of killing 68 billion people. 

His story is a cautionary tale about messiah like figures and how no good can come of them.

In the Matrix, we see Neo also go blind and have to sacrifice himself to end the war between the humans and the machines. 

He ends the war, but not in the way he and those who prophesied his existence thought.

And I’m not counting the 4th movie as canon. 

In my eyes he died at the end of that third movie.

In the Harry Potter series, as Harry gets older he has to wrestle with the fact that Voldemort is a part of him, and that they have more in common than he once thought.

Harry suffers, but by the end of the series it’s somewhat justified and understood, neither does he lose himself to the darkness within.

In star wars, Anakin loses himself to the dark-side out of fear his visions would come true if he didn’t do what Palpatine said.

His character arc is marked by pain, tragedy, and suffering, but he does find redemption in the end and eventually brings balance to the force by killing Palpatine.

He fulfils the prophecy, but like Neo, this didn’t happen in the way everyone expected.

All of them fulfil their prophecy as the chosen one, but it comes with a cost.

It comes with suffering.

And it comes with pain.

But getting back to the deeper question posed at the beginning of this video, why do these stories resonate so deeply with us?

Because the idea of the chosen one doesn’t just manifest itself in movies, we can also find clear examples of it in Religion.

The motif of the "chosen one" is deeply ingrained in various religious traditions, manifesting in narratives that often serve to guide, inspire, or provide a foundation for the beliefs and practices of their followers. 

Here's a more detailed exploration of how this idea appears in some major religions:

In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the considered the chosen one, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies as the Messiah who would save humanity from sin. 

His life, death, and resurrection are central to Christian faith, embodying the ultimate act of sacrifice and redemption. 

Prophecies in books like Isaiah describe a coming saviour, and the New Testament Gospels present Jesus as fulfilling these roles, emphasising his unique relationship with God and his mission to bring salvation to all who believe.

Judaism is rich with the concept of chosen individual, starting with the belief that the Jewish people are chosen by God to fulfil a covenant—a relationship detailed in texts like the Torah. 

Figures like Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt, and King David, under whose reign Israel achieved great prosperity, are seen as chosen by God for special purposes. 

Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, tasked with conveying God's messages and guiding the people, are also considered chosen ones.

In Islam, many prophets are regarded as chosen by Allah to guide humanity. 

Muhammad, the final prophet in Islam, is considered the "Seal of the Prophets," chosen to receive the Quran's revelation and guide the Ummah (Islamic community). 

Other prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, are also seen as chosen individuals, each with a specific mission to uphold and spread the faith among their people.

The concept of the chosen one in Buddhism can be seen in the figure of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), who attained enlightenment and chose to share his insights with the world, setting the foundation for Buddhism. 

While not a "chosen one" in the prophetic sense, the Buddha's journey from prince to enlightened teacher reflects a unique destiny fulfilled. 

In Hinduism, avatars of deities, particularly Vishnu, manifest in the world at times of great need to restore dharma (cosmic order). 

Lord Rama, in the "Ramayana," and Lord Krishna, in the "Mahabharata," are notable examples. 

These incarnations are chosen by divine will to protect the righteous, defeat evil, and maintain the balance of the universe.

Depending on how you view religion, you might argue the significance of the chosen one and what it actually means.

If you’re atheist, you might consider these parallels to be nothing more than the building blocks of a good convincing story.

But I think we need to look deeper than that, regardless of whether or not you’re part of any particular religion.

Because we have to get back to the initial question, why do stories of the chosen one resonate so deeply with us?

If you think about it, it’s not a story we have to learn, it’s one that we simply understand, regardless of where it manifests itself.

So let’s look deeper than religion, and try to answer this question once and for all.

Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who is considered to have founded analytical psychology.

His theories of the collective unconscious, archetypes, and the process of individuation have stood the test of time and provided a comprehensive framework for understanding human behaviour.

His work was an essential development on Freud's theory of the unconscious.

But why does he matter in the context of this video?

See, Yung believed that beneath our personal unconscious lies a deeper layer shared by all humans, containing hidden messages and wisdom from our past.

He called this the collective unconscious.

And he believed our collective unconscious holds specific archetypes.

An archetype is a universal symbol, understood by the majority of people, that emerges from the collective unconscious and manifests in dreams, myths, literature, and cultural practices across different societies and epochs.

To put it simply, archetypes embody common experiences, feelings, and beliefs that transcend the individual.

And you might not be surprised to learn that the idea of the chosen one is one of those archetypes.

The chosen one is an archetype deeply rooted in the collective unconscious.

This figure typically embarks on a hero's journey, facing trials & tribulations, acquiring wisdom, undergoing death and rebirth (either metaphorically or literally), and ultimately delivering salvation or liberation to the people who believe in them. 

This narrative resonates with us so deeply because in many ways, it mirrors the life of the individual.

And this brings me on to another one of Jung’s theories:

Individuation.

in Jung's view, individuation is the process by which a person becomes aware of their individuality,

This is where you would integrate the conscious with the unconscious parts of your psyche.

An example of this most commonly cited is the idea of integrating the shadow, the darker side of a the personality that we all have but may or may not acknowledge.

Only through acknowledgement and understanding can we achieve true self-awareness and integrate this part of our psyche to achieve wholeness.

The "chosen one" embodies this journey towards wholeness and self-realisation, acting as a symbolic guide for the audience's own path to individuation.

Jung would argue that the reason these stories resonate so deeply is not merely because they entertain or inspire but because they reflect our own inner quests for meaning, 

The trials of the chosen one mirror our internal battles, 

their revelations echo our moments of insight, 

and their ultimate transformation signifies our potential for self-actualization.

The chosen one's journey often involves reconciling opposites within the self and the world, a concept Jung referred to as the union of opposites. 

This union is not just a resolution of conflict but a synthesis that gives rise to something greater than the sum of its parts, much like the chosen one often brings balance or a new understanding to their world.

In essence, the archetype of the chosen one or the hero’s journey really mirrors our quest for self-discovery and fulfilment.

As we engage with these stories, we're not just spectators; we're participants in a collective exploration of what it means to become truly oneself. 

Jung's insights reveal that each of us is on a hero's journey, and in a sense, we are all "chosen" to undertake the difficult but rewarding quest toward self-knowledge and understanding.

So to answer the question posed at the start of the video: why do these stories of the chosen one resonate so deeply with us? 

It’s because they touch upon fundamental aspects of the human condition: the desire for significance, the battle between good and evil within us, the quest for self-actualization, and the hope for a better future. 

As we navigate through life, each of us, in a way, is a chosen one in our narrative, called to face our unique challenges, to grow, and to contribute to the world in meaningful ways.

The power of the chosen one story lies not just in its escapism but in its call to each of us to recognize our potential for heroism in the ordinary, to embrace our journey with courage, and to play our part in the ongoing story of humanity.

It’s not to suggest any of us will be able to stop bullets like Neo, or wield a lightsaber like Anakin,

But it does mean we can seek more responsibility, purpose, and ambition in our own lives.

In conclusion, the archetype of the chosen one transcends culture, time, and religion, tapping into the universal quest for meaning and the inherent potential for greatness within us all. 

It's a reminder that, while not all are chosen for a grand, cosmic destiny, each of us is called to navigate our path, face our darkness, and emerge transformed.

It’s a reminder that we can all become something greater if we open ourselves up to the possibility.