The English poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, said, “We are all Greeks.” The entire basis of Western culture was founded upon the ancient Greeks. That was the reason that the Battle of Thermopylae was so critical to the eventual development of the Western mindset and thinking.

King Leonidas tell Xerxes I, “moλωυ λαβε”

Nearly every class that I have taught in the humanities in over the past two decades has heard me mention Shelley’s statement about being Greeks. Unless we grasp Shelley’s truth, we run the risk of losing our very culture. Granted, our fake president states, “I'm, like, a really smart person.” Nonetheless, Donald the Dumb lacks a basic education in the humanities. Therefore, to add to his wondrous lack of knowledge, I have taken on the responsibility to teach Donald the Dumb. This essay in another of my long list of attempts.

Donald, nearly three millennia ago, ancient Greece began to construct the civilization, which informs who we are today in the West. This essay deals with the Greek tragedy, Antigone. Antigone was the daughter and sister of Oedipus. With your background regarding sex, you should understand Freud’s Oedipus complex notion. It is related to your comment, “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”

Sophocles wrote Antigone in 441 BC. The historical context for this tragedy was that there was a civil war in Thebes between Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who wished to become the king of Thebes. They both wanted to be the king and battled to the death with each other. As a result, their uncle, Creon, became the king and wanted to remain king, even though he was essentially a fake king, as you would say. Do you see any parallels?

Creon was so upset with Polynices, because he saw him as a traitor. Therefore, Creon won’t allow anyone to bury Polynices on the battlefield. Rather, he wanted to let Polynices rot on the battlefield unburied. He warned everyone that he was the boss, and no one should defy him. It is exactly like your firing and then threatening of former FBI Director Comey.

Regardless of Creon’s threats, Antigone wanted to give her brother a proper burial despite his executive order not to do so. Both you and Creon like executive orders. He did the same nonsense of signing them and showing them to all who had to watch.

Antigone preparing to bury Polynices

Creon discovered that Antigone was in the process of burying Polynices. Creon was furious just like you get when someone doesn’t pledge alliance to you. Antigone was put in a sealed tomb in which to die. Nevertheless, a blind prophet, Tiresias, told Creon that he will rue the day that he killed Antigone. Interestingly, Ismene, Antigone’s sister, said to her, “We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone!” Far more interesting was Antigone’s mindset about death. “I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst of deaths—death without honor.” Creon has a fit and tweeted that Tiresias was putting out untruths and fake news, which was precisely what you do.

Tiresias

During Antigone’s ordeal, Haemon, who was the son of Creon and her lover, attempted to intervene. Creon rejected his son’s caring for Antigone. Consequently, Haemon killed himself. Creon’s wife hears of her son’s suicide and killed herself. Creon, out of blind self-absorption, caused the deaths of his family.

Choragos, a sentry of Creon, came to him and said, “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished....” Donald, you need to take heed. You, your family, and the world won’t be happy with you acting like Creon. Additionally, Choragos tells Creon, “Nobody likes the man who brings bad news.”

Now, Donald the Dumb, we are moving to the 19th century and Lord Acton’s observation, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” You have psych issues, which causes you to corrupt everything you touch.

Finally, Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, who you won’t like that due to being Hispanic and born in Madrid, Spain, said “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That means, you must learn first from the past. Then you must not repeat the mistakes like Creon made.

On Seeing theLight

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Connecting the Dots

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Donald the Dumb

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Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

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06/16/17