There is something in life that often leads us to the conclusion that life is an illusion. I do not know if it is our culture alone, or whether it is common to many cultures. I suspect it is common. When St. Paul speaks of putting away the things of a child, or when the Lord Buddha speaks of Maya, it is clear that there is a dynamic of change which can be seen as illusion and disillusion.
The shooter in Tucson seems to have arrived at the point where life is seen to be empty, a judgment based upon his present state of mind. Interviews with his friends mention his sense of nihilism.
The story of the Hero is the story where the protagonist goes beyond this point; the Hero does not accept their first encounter with chaos (lack of meaning) as a true end to their quest. The Hero senses that there is yet more: even as there was a long journey from birth to the present situation the Hero finds themself in, so also is there more road to be traveled on their quest.
One facet of the Heroic is the fact that heroes do not stop; they continue; there is no end to the quest. Even when the Hero has become King of the Realm, monsters still rise up from the depths of the forests to bedevil Beowulf.
The next step after one has arrived at the understanding that Life is an Illusion is the journey to the recognition that Illusion itself is illusive. Once Life has no meaning, the quest must follow on to the point where Life is filled with meaning... it is the next logical step for the Hero. It is not the next logical step for those of us who fail.
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