The little Prometheus In Me.

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Usually, all my fictions tend to open in a typical manner, a struggling writer, drugs, failure at romance, and some form of social disarray. I have almost no control over my writing as whatever I write kind of grows its own consciousness and morphs in a way that I can’t predict.

I’m human. A sentence that is straightforward to say but harder to realize then figuring out the composition of carbide crystals. For now, my only motto is to understand what it really means to be human. If I take on only the literature I’ve read till now to firmly establish a point about what humanity really is, then I’d be the biggest fool in the room. Because everybody is unique and has a take on everything that is really different in its pseudo-nature varying from person to person. So what I have to do is learn everything from scratch, which is what I have gathered so far.

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In Greek mythology, two brothers created everything that is between Mount Olympus and Tartarus. When the war against the titans broke out, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades wiped out the titans’ pantheon, including Kronos, their father. The aftermath of the war resulted in Zeus getting to rule over the sky, Poseidon to rule over the seven seas and Hades to rule over the underworlds.

All the titans were deemed to be shackled in the fiery pits of Tartarus for eternity, except two. Prometheus and the younger brother, Epimetheus. As an alternative punishment, they were given clay to create things that decorate the earth. Prometheus, as the name literally means, was a fore thinker. And Epimetheus, the after thinker. As Epimetheus randomly started to create trees and animals, Prometheus took his sweet time and created Humans.

Humans, almost semi-immortal at that stage, were scouring the earth. Because we humans are inherently curious, we love to explore, and most importantly, we believe, as did Prometheus. He made humanity and left his good traits in us. Seeing all this, he fell in love with his creation. But Zeus, the king of Greek gods, was so zealous, he decided that more devotion is needed from humans. They have to produce sacrifices, and only Zeus gets to decide what he keeps.

Prometheus was a trickster, and he loved humans more than the gods, a trickster who ought for the week. So, he made Zeus promise that, whichever portion of the sacrifices he chooses, he has to keep it for the rest of eternity. And Zeus agreed. So, Prometheus presented bones with only juicy looking fat on top of it on one side and good meat hidden in th ugly looking hides of the animals on the other. An arrogant Zeus picked what looked to be better, and it was the bones. But it took him no time to see it’s the foul portion, and he has been tricked, making him only more enraged.

And so, he decided to take fire away from humanity, so that the cold hurts them and only gets to eat that raw. But a kind Prometheus was not willing to let his creation suffer. So he stole fire from the sun and gave it back to humanity. Again triggering only more rage in Zeus.

So, as a final punishment, both for humans and Prometheus, he ordered Hephaestus, armorsmith of the gods, to create two gifts. One, stunning beauty named Pandora. And a jar full of mystery that was never to be opened, the Pandora’s box. But Prometheus knew what would happen if Pandora and the pot were brought before humans. Lust and greed would affect the beautiful nature of humanity. And so he denied the gifts and warned Epimetheus never to trust anything sent by Zeus.

But the after thinker idiot brother couldn’t handle the temptation and human innocence was lost forever.

Pandora lived with humans for eons, and slowly humanity changed her too. She became gradually curious. One day she, not being able to handle it anymore, opened the jar. In it was everything that is bad and evil about humanity, disease, plagues, sorrows, and misfortune. All of it was released on humanity, and everything seemed lost.

But there was still something left, perhaps the most humane thing ever. Hephaestus was not as cruel as Zeus. So, at the very bottom of the jar, he left something to counter all that released, a tiny flicker of hope. And that was enough.

And that is what I have learned so far about what it means to be human. We are susceptible to change, and that is not a bad thing. Even Troilus whose fate was entangled with that of Troy, who hated the concept of love, too, let go of his composure and madly fell in love with Cressida, as did Prometheus with humans. And that deemed their fate, but still, they accepted it.

Perhaps, in that sense, if you can picture it just from the perfect angle, Alan Scott, with his green lantern comic books might have helped humanity more than the UN.


In brightest day, In blackest night.
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evils might,
Beware my power—Green Lanterns light.


The fictional green lantern oath promotes hope among kids. And hope is all it takes. As did Prometheus, Alan Scott, me, and the rest of the world, we hope. And that is what makes us human in the end.



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4 comments
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I read it earlier. But was between things so forgot to write back. I was thinking about it.... actually picked up Durbin after seeing that image. But didn’t write a note.

I am not very organized and I don’t have a system that I follow but somehow it works out.

This is so well written but no one wrote a comment. Damn!

Greek gods are so human isn’t it? They are full of flaws just like the rest of us. Perhaps he were real or at least were shaped based on us.

You know I have visited Delos.... such an amazing place .... the birthplace on Apollo and Artemis
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos
It’s mostly empty these days. But you can almost hear the gods. That’s a story for some other times :)

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To me, this comment is worth more than 10 others, comments that were just put together out of thoughtless reads.:) You know dada, i do not do this for the rewards.. Or else i couldve cooked up spammy posts, the very thing we are fighting to change.

Greek gods are so human isn’t it?

A little too much dada.. Even the allmighty zeus is more human than most of us will ever be. And that is something soo fascinating to me.

Youve been to places i long to see dada.! Im soo jealous.:v fingers crossed, hopefully ill be able to become a world citizen, someday. I have my eyes set on mount Fuji, and i know its far fetched, to actually be able to go there. But one can dream i guess.

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(Edited)

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That’s temple of Athena Nike at Acropolis, I like it better than Parthenon.... my own shot.

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:o:o.. We have a very old very greek looking small temple at my uni. the only greek thing ive ever seen.. It mustve been a majestic trip for you tho..getting to visit all these places so intertwined with history and civilization..

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