In the play, “The Birds” by Aristophanes the main character of the story works diligently to convince the birds to stop being the messenger for the Gods to receive the sacrifices that humanity offers them and instead to take them for themselves and build a world not for the Gods but for humanity.
It is a beautiful play full of a thousand references that no one in our time would get unless they were a historian but the larger satirical themes have to do with the question, “what would humanity do if they were given the keys to the planet.”
What if humanity were to truly have the codes and keys to understanding and ability to control the elements of the world.
It is a very sad premise that Aristophanes posits and of course that is why it is funny, but he asks us to consider what we would do with a Utopia.
The resolution of his comedy is sad as Man instead of making a place where all people have the system which allows all to rise, instead, each person being given wings seeks to find the swiftest way to take advantage of each other.
In the end, Aristophanes main character Pisthetarious accepts that humanity will never make better things with better tools until they change their own souls and are willing to accept responsibility for the gift of consciousness they will always try to destroy each other. He accepts the offer from Zues and is married off to the Queen of the Universe.
He has been married to her for 1600 years.
I sure hope he comes back with better ideas…
It is a beautiful play full of a thousand references that no one in our time would get unless they were a historian but the larger satirical themes have to do with the question, “what would humanity do if they were given the keys to the planet.”
What if humanity were to truly have the codes and keys to understanding and ability to control the elements of the world.
It is a very sad premise that Aristophanes posits and of course that is why it is funny, but he asks us to consider what we would do with a Utopia.
The resolution of his comedy is sad as Man instead of making a place where all people have the system which allows all to rise, instead, each person being given wings seeks to find the swiftest way to take advantage of each other.
In the end, Aristophanes main character Pisthetarious accepts that humanity will never make better things with better tools until they change their own souls and are willing to accept responsibility for the gift of consciousness they will always try to destroy each other. He accepts the offer from Zues and is married off to the Queen of the Universe.
He has been married to her for 1600 years.
I sure hope he comes back with better ideas…
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Paradox Pollack
paradoxpollack.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X98ZM_aQC0