“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
The myth of Theseus, The Minotaur and Ariadne brings this home, for me. It was not enough that Theseus killed the monster. He also made it back out of the Labyrinth by (a) remembering where he came from (by way of the cord) and (b) who he would join (Ariadne), thus, the two of them together meant another generation would follow
Set-up:
1) The Minotaur was the result of man (King Minos) and woman (Pasiphae) arrogating status and relations beyond human bounds;
2) The horror of the feeding of the youth of Athens to the Minotaur was in recrimination that Aegeus forgot the rules of (a) fair competition and (b) the treatment of guests;
3a) It fell to the next generation, Theseus (son of Aegeus) and Ariadne (daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae) to solve the problem;
3b) It fell to the children of sworn enemies to solve the problem;
3c) It fell to the cooperation of the masculine and the feminine strengths, principles and processes to solve the problem;
3d) Solving the problem requires memory - that’s what Ariadne’s cord represents.
Don’t let the fervor of war make you forget who you are, whose you are, and why you are fighting in the first place.
Memory: never forget that, as in 1) and 2), that humans will continually exceed their bounds and will break rules of fair play and hospitality. Be optimistic but realistic about life in the polis (community), i.e., political life
I couldn't agree more with this post. Navigating office politics can indeed be a tricky tightrope walk. As a team leader, my fear has always been that the proliferation of politics can harm the team's cohesion and effectiveness.
It's crucial to establish clear ethical boundaries and stick to them, no matter the temptations or pressures. While it's essential to understand the game, it's even more critical to preserve one's integrity.
Ultimately, our goal should be to achieve success while upholding our values and principles. This post serves as a valuable reminder of that balance.
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
The myth of Theseus, The Minotaur and Ariadne brings this home, for me. It was not enough that Theseus killed the monster. He also made it back out of the Labyrinth by (a) remembering where he came from (by way of the cord) and (b) who he would join (Ariadne), thus, the two of them together meant another generation would follow
Set-up:
1) The Minotaur was the result of man (King Minos) and woman (Pasiphae) arrogating status and relations beyond human bounds;
2) The horror of the feeding of the youth of Athens to the Minotaur was in recrimination that Aegeus forgot the rules of (a) fair competition and (b) the treatment of guests;
3a) It fell to the next generation, Theseus (son of Aegeus) and Ariadne (daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae) to solve the problem;
3b) It fell to the children of sworn enemies to solve the problem;
3c) It fell to the cooperation of the masculine and the feminine strengths, principles and processes to solve the problem;
3d) Solving the problem requires memory - that’s what Ariadne’s cord represents.
Don’t let the fervor of war make you forget who you are, whose you are, and why you are fighting in the first place.
Memory: never forget that, as in 1) and 2), that humans will continually exceed their bounds and will break rules of fair play and hospitality. Be optimistic but realistic about life in the polis (community), i.e., political life
I couldn't agree more with this post. Navigating office politics can indeed be a tricky tightrope walk. As a team leader, my fear has always been that the proliferation of politics can harm the team's cohesion and effectiveness.
It's crucial to establish clear ethical boundaries and stick to them, no matter the temptations or pressures. While it's essential to understand the game, it's even more critical to preserve one's integrity.
Ultimately, our goal should be to achieve success while upholding our values and principles. This post serves as a valuable reminder of that balance.