But the truth is -- and I mean no disrespect to Athena -- she kind of scares me. She reminds me too much of those "it" girls who terrified humble, fat me in junior high school. She's everybody's favorite, but she still can't cut the clueless and socially inept any slack. Paris, for example. There he is -- minding his flock of sheep -- when Hera, Aphrodite and Athena descend upon him and demand that he choose which of them is the most beautiful. Hera promised to make him a king. Athena promised to make him a great warrier. Aphrodite promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Truth be told, Paris was not the smartest rock in marble quarry. He chose love. He chose Helen. And Athena made him pay dearly. Her Athenians destroyed Troy; they destroyed Paris. Poor, stupid Paris. And that's the story of western civilization right there: warriors beat poor, stupid lovers.
What we forget about Athena, after all, is that she is not just the goddess of wisdom. She is also the goddess of war. Why war and smarts? Why would she be the goddess of both? I guess it let the Athenians self-aggrandize themselves pretty well. It allowed them to excuse a host of sins. It your goddess demands it, it must be ok.
Whatever the reason, Athena must be doing well for herself today, on this day when most children return to school after their winter breaks and when my newspaper declares, "Israelis isolate Gaza City: Hamas keeps firing rockets; militants, soldiers clash on multiple fronts."
Channel this goddess: carefully. Smarts and wisdom aren't always the same thing. Just because you know more doesn't always mean you know best.
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