All societies, past and present, exhibit values and beliefs that become so influential as to make an indelible impression on people’s minds. Whether religious or not, these values and beliefs attain such elevated status that they largely go unchallenged. In such cases, any challenge is perceived as sacrilegious. For instance, who would deny civil liberties in England, the equality of all citizens in France, the right to property in the United States, racial equality in South Africa or gender equality in Canada? These values are so emotionally charged and so widely admired that they have become sacrosanct. How did this happen?

In other words, how do myths come about? How do they achieve sacred status? How do they spread and continue to grow? What triggers their decline? How do unconscious forces shape myths and what role do social stakeholders play in this process? Also, why do we not pay greater heed to these powerful symbols that reflect the most profound currents of feeling in society, mould identities and ideologies, structure visions of the past and future, inspire community choices, and circumscribe public discussion? These and other questions are at the centre of this book.