Bring In The New Year By Slapping The King
The ancient Mesopotamian method for keeping their leaders humble
Some may say that climbing the ladder of society may be one of the hardest things for a person to achieve. However, remaining humble while you’re on top of the mountain may be the most difficult point of that journey.
I’m sure many self-help gurus have their methods for dealing with this. But, the ancient Mesopotamians may have come up with the greatest idea of all to keep their leaders humble. They combined this method with their new year festival and it was done annually
The king would actually be slapped in the face once a year. The strike would ideally be so hard it would bring tears to the king’s eyes. If it didn’t, this was considered a bad omen. Being part of the new year celebration, the year began with the king being humiliated purposefully.
People of ancient times are often thought to be primitive. But, think of the symbolism and meaning in an act such as this. What a novel and simple way to instantly remind someone they’re a regular human being. You may be surrounded by gold, wealth, and servants, but you’re susceptible to pain and consequences like us all.
It makes you wonder what the world would be like today if we continued this tradition.
