This essay returns to what Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, “We are all Greeks. Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their roots in Greece.” That mindset is the basis of the Western world, but it raises a major issue when we pick mentors to follow in our own lives. For example, Prometheus is a valid mentor. The question is whether we are following that mentor or merely creating a reason for our behavior. That is the vexing problem that all Americans face. We have a choice between the two faces of Prometheus.

Which Prometheus are you like?

The story of Prometheus was a part of the ancient Greek mythology. It is critical not to disregard the term mythology. Myths are similar to parables. They were stories to convey a truth the writer is attempting to express to the reader.

Prometheus was a Titian god who created man from clay and asked Zeus to breathe into his clay sculpture, which he did. Zeus had other things to do and left Prometheus to create men. When Zeus returned, three immortals were fully functional. Prometheus and Zeus were delighted with the three immortals. Prometheus told them he would teach them to farm and do what the other gods could.

Zeus had no problem with Prometheus wanting to help the three immortal men and told him so. However, he added one caveat. They couldn’t have fire. Zeus saw fire as a means for the three immortals to become equal to all the other gods. Zeus was jealous. Prometheus could not give fire to his creation.

However, Prometheus was both caring and concerned for his creation. Therefore, he stole fire from Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. Even though he violated Zeus’ command, Prometheus reached out to the three immortal men to make their lives more meaningful and comfortable.

Therefore, those who claim Prometheus as their mentor are those who reach out to others by assisting them. Their worldly work is to enable the next generation on their journey done the yellow brick road of life. That is not to say that those acting like Prometheus don’t benefit; they do. I came up with a mantra decades ago. It is in giving that we get. If you follow my mantra, trust me; having a meaningful life is solely based on reaching out to others.

Not all that say they are a 21^st-century Prometheus. They are lying. Determine who the beneficiaries of these wannabe Prometheus-like people are. The Donald, our twice impeached, four-time indicted former president. His mantra is, “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.” The first word in Donald the Dumb’s sentence uses the royal we, meaning God and Trump. In the fourth quarter of last year, he took in $19 million in fundraising. Trump spent most of that on legal fees and golf courses like Mar-a-Lago. Prometheus wasn’t paying for legal fees that he accumulated as a Greek god.

Think about Trump vs Prometheus. Who is into helping others rather than using tens of millions of dollars to defend himself in various courts?

One addendum. Interestingly, the Olympics date back to ancient Greece and are related to Prometheus bringing fire to the three immortals, all men. Enter Cathy Freeman. She was a woman who lit the Olympic Flame in Sydney, Australia, in 1980.

Cathy Freeman

Freeman was an Aboriginal sprinter from Australia. The local white Australians mistreated the Aboriginals for centuries as Americans mistreated Native Americans or blacks.

This is a fascinating video about Cathy Freeman lighting the Olympic Flame.