Prometheus brought us fire, according to the legend. He was also cursed to live forever, high on a mountain with an eagle that pecks his liver out everyday.
What a guy! He brought us fire, arguably the essential ingredient to becoming who we are today. We could cook our food, forge new tools, and even use it as a weapon.
Generally speaking, fire made life easier. Easier life means we can spend our free time thinking up new things to do and make. Thus began a new chapter in our human story.
What a guy! He brought a light that could be shared with everyone! In the process, he granted us the power of fire and the freedom to do what we want with it. But the gods didn’t take back the fire which means he was punished for bringing us that freedom.
The lesson here is that sharing “light from the gods” has consequences. Everyone is free to do whatever they want with what is shared with them. People are free to react to you with negative feelings and emotions. Scrutiny is the punishment for those that choose to share their light.
With a modern mindset, we can ask ourselves how the story of Prometheus applies to us. Firstly, how could we “steal fire from the gods” in our world? We already have fire and electricity, and, personally, I don’t know where on Earth to go to find “the gods” to go get it.
Metaphorically, fire can be used to create and destroy. It is an energy that can be harnessed and spread around. It can keep the cold away and it can burn. “Fire” is the energy inside of you.
Living beings have energy and us people have the luxury of arms and legs to move around. Even better, we have a big brain to help us imagine new things. We have a drive to be something and show it to the world: that is our fire. That drive can inspire something in someone else: that is how the fire is shared. The punishment for sharing is that we become vulnerable, like Prometheus, chained to his rock on the mountain.
But what if we used the fire that he brought us to scare away the eagle? Maybe we could even use it to break his chains and bring him back home to live as a hero! We can use our own light to rescue people from their feelings of vulnerability.
Vulnerability describes a concept that actually changes words depending on the context. In nature, to be vulnerable is to be open to possible harm. We have an instinct to resolve all vulnerabilities so that we can feel protected and safe. Whether it’s a piece of armor, a door to your house, or a fake smile, we humans have come up with many ways to keep ourselves safe.
When we are feeling safe, vulnerability turns to intimacy and transparency. It’s actually what we all want: to be seen. The only thing in the way is the fear of what they’ll do once they see you. But what if they saw you with beauty in their eyes? What if they appreciated you for showing yourself? For giving them some “fire of the gods” to keep and inspire new thoughts and feelings.
The modern day equivalent of the liver pecking bird is called a hater. We all know what they are and why they do it. But luckily, their words strike softer than an eagle’s beak.
By putting our energy into creating something, we are giving the world a gift: a little piece of ourselves. According to the legend, the haters will come, but what if there were more people like Prometheus? There would be more gifts going around for everyone and maybe some of that “fire of the gods” from others could keep the hater birds away for a little while.
I’m finally out here giving you myself and I am open to whatever you want to do with it. I will trust that there will be more people who appreciate my gift than there are birds to peck at me. If you are open to it, maybe you can share some fire too.
Maybe Prometheus got used to the pecking. Maybe the pecking was actually a cleaning so that he could start over fresh the next day. Maybe the haters can show you parts of yourself that you don’t like so that you can let go of those parts and start over fresh the next day.
What a great day it must have been when Prometheus first returned with his gift with us. What a great day it will be when you finally share your gift with us, too. Don’t worry about the birds, we’ll figure out how to keep them away; and if we fail, then we’ll start over fresh tomorrow.
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