On Hubris
In the face of a hurricane
One of America’s major founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton wrote the following words while still quite young, in the aftermath of a deadly hurricane:
“Where now, oh! vile worm is all they boasted fortitude and resolution? What is become of thine arrogance and self sufficiency? … Death comes rushing on in triumph, veiled in a mantle of tenfold darkness. His unrelenting scythe, pointed and ready for the stroke … See thy wretched helpless state and learn to know thyself …”
Nature still today, when she lashes out at man using all the force at her disposal, strips him of his hubris. Reminds him that no matter what he builds, she can destroy it.
Hamilton’s community was destroyed, with an accompanying great loss of life. His words of grief well illustrated his pain.
But in that pain, he reminds us of that ancient maxim, he reminds us that we must “learn to know thyself.”
That makes me wonder…
Can we best learn to know thyself when faced with tragedy in our lives?
Are there things we must learn, that we can only learn when faced with tragedy?
What do you think?
Ancient Greeks flocked to the Oracle at Delphi to gain advice from the divine seer. It was no mere coincidence that "Know Thyself" was etched in stone upon the entrance to her temple. Perhaps that statement should be carved on the edifices of all of our temples...
I think the saying that "Tragedy does not create character, it reveals it", is true, but, I don't think we only get to know ourselves when tragedy strikes, but it is probably the way most people do it. Understanding ourselves is a difficult thing to do, tends toward the mystical, and as a consequence most people never really try and do it. At the end of the day the esoteric path is about two things knowing yourself and knowing God. One of the greatest benefits of that path is learning who you are, and avoiding the terrible shock of discovering who you are in the middle of a crisis.