Gilgamesh Fights The Wildman

As a child I had a love for reading myths from throughout the world. Edith Hamilton’ book on Greek and Roman myth was the first of many. It launched for a long period in study of myth. About that time Joseph Campbell published his great work The Power Of Myth. It is clear that myth is part of the glue that holds a society together.

One of the challenges we face now as a country and as a world is that we have no myths that we all relate to. Even The United States had an underlying myth about the sacredness of the Constitution and the ideal of freedom that seems to be fading quickly into the past. We have new myths that people appear to be flocking to.: Conspiracy theory seems to be our modern collective myth. 

The ancient lyric poem of Gilgamesh was one of my favorites of the ancient myths. Gilgamesh was a prince, a sort of superman more powerful than any who would face him. It really is not an exaggeration to use the connection to Superman, because he did have powers beyond what a human could do. However unlike Superman, Gilgamesh used his powers for his own destructive pleasure. Out of control, he was eventually banished

While gone he met a wildman. They begin a titanic struggle that goes on for days and Gilgamesh is eventually able to defeat the wildman. Having gained respect for each other they become fast and loyal friends. This story represents the struggle we must come through so we can distinguish selfish impulsiveness and inspired action.

We must each be willing to struggle with that within us that wishes nothing more than to indulge our pleasures. Or our fears. We are in the midst of that struggle now, as community,as a city, country and  world. It is the titanic struggle with our shadow.

It is not with the right or the left. It is within us each.Things fester in the dark and the intolerance we ignore becomes the cop who kills.  We need justice for George. We also each must like inside ourselves for how this happened. Maybe we can ask ourselves why we did not speak up sooner. Maybe the wildman for us to confront is how far we have let ourselves lower our standards. And why.