So the god Apollo is walking down the street, and he sees the little baby Cupid playing with bows and arrows. He says to Cupid, “hey you little sissy boy, stop playing with bows and arrows, those are weapons for big strong warrior men like me.”
Cupid took umbrage at this, and he shot Apollo through the heart, making him fall hopelessly in love with Daphne. He then shot Daphne with a lead tipped arrow that made her totally averse to being loved by anyone. Apollo chased her and chased her, and when he almost caught up with her, another god turned Daphne into a tree to save her.
The above is a very quick summation of one of the many “classics” of Greek-Roman mythology. Back in the 19 century, a thorough knowledge of “the classics” was part of the core curriculum of any educated person.
Just my theory, but I have come to believe that the study of “the classics” was not some pointless little elitist exercise. Before Freud came along, “the classics” were the vocabulary with which educated people discussed the subconscious mind. (Remember Narcissus?) So if even the great god Apollo could be overcome by the power of love, and if even he, a god, could be frustrated in his desire, what hope do we mere mortals have? When we experience such problems, it is good to know that there is a “myth” somewhere to give some validation to our problem and not make us think we are crazy or weird.
(It just dawned on me that the biggest difference between paganism and Judaism/Christianity is that we used to have a whole bunch of imperfect gods that looked awful lot like us, now we have one God that is absolutely perfect. hmmmm…. I suppose there is something to be said for seeking to overcome our shortcomings rather than accepting them. But it can get out of hand….)
With all the emphasis of late on teaching “math and science,” it occurs to me that there is far too much emphasis on developing these narrow subjects that utilize the conscious mind only and completely avoid mentioning the vagaries of human nature. There is precious little general education on what “the classics” used to teach us about ourselves. I think this is dangerous. This form of illiteracy makes us collectively very vulnerable to people who do know how the subconscious works. I am witnessing all kinds of propaganda mischief these days, and it is working in part because I think most people don’t have any knowledge of “the classics,” and how we can be overcome by our own little imperfections. The average political ad these days strikes me as being so terribly clichéd, but I think that’s mostly because I made propaganda for a living for about 15 years.
Those who don’t know ancient history are doomed to be easily manipulated by those who do.
© Justin Locke
