I did. Four years, on February 3, 2017, I wrote an article about the importance of grasping what Shelley said, “We are all Greeks.” The ancient Greeks can teach us what they learned from their trials and errors. Often, they would use their legends as parables, hoping that their countrymen could learn how to live a good life. The story of Icarus is such a teaching moment.

Daedalus and Icarus (Ἴκαρος), his son, were prisoners on the island of Crete. Daedalus offended King Minos regarding the issue of Theseus killing the minotaur in the king’s labyrinth. Hence, Minos punished Daedalus and Icarus. Nevertheless, Daedalus was driven to escape with his son from their bondage. While pondering, he had a eureka moment. He could create wings for himself and Icarus. They could fly like the birds and escape Crete. Daedalus invented his flying machine over four millennia prior to Leonardo’s idea of one.

Leonardo’s idea of a flying machine

Daedalus made a set of wings from feathers and connected the feathers to his son and himself with wax. This painting is of Daedalus telling Icarus not to fly too high, or the wax will melt.

“Don’t fly too close to the sun.”

Icarus didn’t follow his father’s instructions. The euphoric feeling of flying very high overcame him, and he ignored the warning. Flying for Icarus was like taking opioids in today’s world. He was high, so high that the Sun melted the wax used to attach the feathers to Icarus’ arms.

I told Trump not to let flying go to his head. Nevertheless, Trump, like Icarus, wanted to fly. So, he bought a Boeing 757. It was exhilarating for him also. It was his means to show the world that he had arrived.

Trump could fly.

Nevertheless, Trump wanted to fly bigger jets. After his election, he got Air Force One. Talk about prestige even if Trump seemed diminutive in compassion to the plane.

At least his plane is bigger than everyone else’s.

Trump’s insecurity issues forced him to compete with the big boys of the world, all of whom have bested him in everything. He just never learned. Had someone read to him before he went to sleep in the White House the story of Icarus, all this could have been avoided. Here are a couple of books that Trump would have enjoyed having someone read to him before going to bed.

Icarus was Ridiculous

Be Careful, Icarus

Some of Trump’s evangelicals could have told him that the Book of Proverbs says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Surely, there was a significant fall between a Boeing 757 and a 1997 Cessna Citation X jet.

“Hey, I am more important than this.”

While whether Donald the Dumb is more important than this plane is debatable. What isn’t debatable is that the US District of Attorneys in the Southern District of New York and Georgia are investigating Trump. Besides, the State Attorney General of Fulton County has also opened inquiries into Trump’s misconduct. These various district attorneys’ findings will undoubtedly be worse than anything that Trump has experienced to date.

Trump claims that he is at least as good as President Lincoln. Yo, Donald, Gilgamesh talked about having immortality based upon being remembered. American and the world will remember you, but not in the way you had wished.