Apollo vs Dionysus
My topic title is called Apollo vs Dionysus. It is given after two Greek gods’ names. And the idea of relating my point to the Greek gods have emerged from the recent attentive listening from my friend’ podcast (A monologue, I think) about the philosophical responses to the obstacles that occur in our day to day life and some problems that seldom occur but also greatly influences us. Therefore, the thoughts he has shared in our brief long-distance encounter triggered me to deduct some analysis from the collision of two different aspects of us—human beings.
Apollo and Dionysus both have been labelled as a major god in Greek mythology. Also known as sons of Zeus, the ruler of Olympus. And each of them portrays various features of human behaviour and a wide range of human characteristics. Apollo, in most cases, delivers knowledge and logical thinking. He is the worshipper of an organized and ordered world. On the other hand, Dionysus mostly portrays the ecstasy and fruitfulness of life. We can think of him as the depicter of every entertainments that could be felt, seen, heard and tasted in the universe and the impulses of our innermost unconscious desires. He is the embodiment of chaos. But the chaos in here does not mean to demonstrate perilous things but the less organized abstract world. So the difference between their nature is kind of similar to the difference between the police and protestor.
When we step back and observe different places around the world through a bigger lens, we can easily see how our world is organized and systematically ordered and trying to reach the perfect Apollonic society. It is now more logic-oriented than ever. Look through your room window now, you see pavements that built for pedestrians, roads for cars, traffic lights to control both men and machine. And buildings you see are totally one type oriented, systemized, ordered. People in the streets are tending to be conscious. It is mostly not because we want to but we are told to do so from our early ages. And logical atmosphere we have drawn around our existence, if it exceeds the line, lead to self-destruction. Our imagination becomes boxed, our creativity becomes poorly sorted and progress could be halted.
By saying this, I am not tending to sentimentally promote any chaotic situations or unorganized anarchism. Actually, I believe we now need more orders than we did in any other period of history. Because the human population is now at a great number than any other period of time.
But then on the other side, if you search, you can find a very limited number of societies that still exist hugely dependent on sentimental Dionysus system. They prefer emotional output than the logical inlet. Because logical statements deprive them of their imaginary worlds. Some people argue it is too superficial and confusing. And that is true if it is misunderstood and wrongly implemented. As a matter of fact, what Dionysus really wanted to spread among men was to let us embrace our crazy yet beautiful artistic feelings, like how child draw very collided and simple universes like Van Gogh’s paints but perfectly delivers the main point of the idea to the viewer—in a fewer statement. Though over time we learn to use techniques and skills that come from logical abstraction and implement it to our life creations—work, relationship everything. And most often, in a return, we let us get fully distanced from our Dionysus nature.
Throughout the history of mankind, many examples prove that all the great work of arts and innovations comes from artistic Dionysus energy. But when Dionysus’s power overwhelms our mind then drive us in the wrong direction, some hard failures comes on to the stage, you can see it everywhere. Fear, anger, and jealousy are its transformed forms and they could be counted as common examples that lead to foolish acts. The most recent example is how the government fully shut down schools and universities but yet claim to open other activity centres, recreational places while it is crystal clear that more people could be gathered in those areas than school halls and cabinets. And in meantime you can see every corner of the neighbourhood is filled with youngsters more than ever—more than the before-quarantine times. This regulation may foster businesses around the country but might bring harmful after-effects to our 600,000 students in the long term if we do not improve online and television webinar quality, I have heard many students complain the integrity of it. (it was written in the early of 2020)
We know that everything needs to be balanced. And the balance we try to keep is most often easily distracted by other outer factors. If we direct our Apollyonic energy in the wrong direction too much, then we become cynical and sceptical rather being pragmatic and critical whereas when our inner Dionysus becomes unstable then we get sentimental and over-reactive which causes us to fall into the chaotic trap. Apollonia and Dionysus’s energy in us always seem to clash and collide with each other. But to find the balance point, one must need to know and experience two sides of it. In reality, when we try to see and approach these sides, we face thicker and taller walls. Walls that created by, for example, the fear of being cast away and pressed down by others, while trying to develop artistic and emotional Dionysus energy. And the fear of being judged falsely when trying to understand and embody Apollonic energy.
In the end, in order to give an ultimate answer to this matter, I’d like to quote philosopher Nietzsche’s words. He said, “We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” He is reminding us while you are sailing along the course, the journey must be hard and harsh but once you remember that every obstacle has its beautifulness within it, you will find a way to go over it. Embrace it, make it phenomenal.
And at last, I want to close the speech by citing someone’s written poetry.
Glide just as you’ve glided over the lives of many, drawing waves of laughter in your wake. Mute only to give sound to that which has doubted its own melody, moving only when on your wing a rest is allowed, leaving only when which that is yours has become the start of theirs.
