Enter myths , stories that help us to make sense out of out lives, guiding narratives. They resemble to some extent Jung s archetypes, but they can be conscious and unconscious, collective and personal. A good example is how many people live their lives based on stories from the Bible. Leave it to Beaver, Star Wars, Little House on the Prairie, The Simpsons, South Park, and the fables of Aesop. As I intentionally suggest with this list, a lot of stories make lousy myths.
Most existentialists feel that it is necessary to face reality much more directly than myths imply.
Readings May writes very well and all his books are quite readable.