The Promethean Human Spirit
Prometheus was the Greek God of fire, foresight and the creator of mortal beings. Man was meant originally as Zeus’ plaything, but Prometheus developed a real fondness for his creation. He lived amongst men, showed them the ropes of survival and led them to prosperity. His attachment went so far that he betrayed Zeus’ trust and gifted man the forbidden divine fire. Upon discovering this treachery Zeus’ ire knew no bounds. He first unleashed Pandora’s jar with suffering and disease upon the world, and then designed a personalized punishment for the deceitful Prometheus.
Prometheus was cursed by Zeus to have his body torn apart by vultures and his liver devoured every single day that he lived. Each night his body would heal only for the torture to be repeated the next day.
Given that Prometheus was the creator of man, I wonder if Zeus didn’t curse mankind by extension? We applaud the ‘indomitable human spirit’, capable of surviving the greatest odds. No matter the extent of damage, the human spirit always heals…because it must be broken again. This regenerative property seems to be by design only meant to survive an exhausting and endless cycle of destruction and restoration. Wars, plague, famine, floods, loss- man suffers yet survives it all. Is that cruel or kind? I suppose it depends on which side of the walloping one is on presently.
