Project Vision 21

Francisco Miraval

I recently read a book about comparative mythology written by somebody who, with an undeniable knowledge of the subject, easily navigates the complex labyrinth of old stories and, without any fear of monsters of gods, connects seemingly unconnected tales one with another and all of them with modern science, technology, and religion.

I have learned many years ago that mythology is not just fantasy or mere legends. It is, in fact, a language different from the one we commonly use to talk about the reality, both the reality we suppose exists “out there” and the one inside each of us.

I have also learned that many of those old stories, thought to be sacred by those who told them and those who heard them, had and still have an explanatory power only comparable (and not by chance) to modern science.

Yet, it is still difficult for me to explain and for many people to accept that the old mythology, those old stories, those gods from ancient civilizations, are still with us and among us, not in the same way they used to present themselves, but transformed, changed, mutated, and certainly hidden (perhaps unable to bear their shame, or ours.)

I also find interesting that many symbols associated with their gods and used them to represent those gods are still being used today, some of them without modifications, in unexpected places, almost –it seems– with the explicit intention of transforming the mundane intro something supernatural, the profane into the sacred, the common into the magical.

What has become of the old gods that once dominated the pantheons of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome? Where are they hiding, hoping at once to be and not to be recognized, to be notice and to remain unnoticed?

Let’s take the case of Apollo, once thought to be the god of music, medicine, and light. Two millennial later, his name is used by NASA for a successful space program. And Orion, the mythical hunter, lends his name to the next space program.

Midas, who previously transformed everything he touched into gold, now spend his times fixing cars. And the Titans, the old gods who unsuccessfully fought to avoid being displaced, are still fighting, but this time disguised as an NLF team.

There are, of course, many more examples. Janus, the god with a face looking to the future and another one looking to past, now sells insurance. And the Greek goddess representing victory, known as Niké, is famous in our time thanks to sport shoes and clothes.

And what about those pyramids, trees, flowers, serpents, pillars, and many other mythical symbols that, even out of context, still appear on movies, billboards, ads, buildings, seals, and, of course, currency?

Are we really as advanced as we think we are? Have we really left all of the old myths just in the past? Perhaps we just transformed them into something we can easily sell. Perhaps that’s why mythology is now frequently incorporated in the business administration career.