The Life and Death Paradox

The gods’ privilege is never to die, the men’s tragedy is most die at some point in time of their life’s cycle. The gods’ tragedy is gods can never die, the men’s privilege is to die when time comes. Because of her beauty and a handful of dust she held in her palm she won god’s favor and was granted the privilege to live forever, nonetheless, it turned into misery to suffer forever, she,(1) therefore, wrote on a golden leaf, “I want to die.” The wish of a crafty king,(2) who is to roll a rock to the top of hill over and over under god’s harsh punishment, is to let the rock down and die rather than to undergo eternal life’s never ending toil. The agony of the god who descended to the earth, because he wanted to share the warmth of the bonfire(3) kept exclusively for gods to sit encircle it and enjoy, with the men he love was he couldn’t die. Whether it’s right or wrong, because he stole the fire, he is chained to a rock at the mountain standing in the edge of the world, incurring the ridicule of an ill-bred god(4) who frequently comes in and out the thieves’ den to plot together another theft from another victim they chose. His liver is pecked by a fierce eagle every morning; hence it would be better for him not to see the ever renewing sun rise from other side of the mountain. Although it’s miserable to suffer forever because he cannot die, it’s far worse to see men’s betrayal. Ungrateful men’s avarice, instead of co-existence in peace they kill each other, oppress weak to hold power, use the fire as the weapon of massacre. Every morning with renewing sun he has to endure worsening pain though, he won’t understand what the desperate mean, because he is a god. Although he may able to bear excruciating pain, he couldn’t endure men’s betrayal. The mountain collapses, the chain breaks off.(5) 1. Cummaean Sibyl. 2. Sisyphus. 3. Prometheus. 4. Hermes. 5. Aeschylus. tr. Mueller, Carl R. Prometheus bound, last line (Pandemonium. The mountain collapses.) q.v. Bulfinch’s Mythology, Prometheus, pp. 939-40.