...each of us has a no less valuable ability, which can be applied in this world.
In the previous article, we looked into the power it takes to make an emotional choice, different from traditional conventions. This article continues to investigate the theme of difference through the wise ideas of Greek mythology.
Positive Attitude All the gods in the Greek pantheon have remarkable attributes. Each divinity has special talents which distinguish them from their peers. Usually their areas of expertise differ, at times they overlap, but one property all the entities have in common is their outstanding physical beauty. All, that is, except the god Hephaestus.
Imagine what it would be like, to live in a world inhabited exclusively by the most beautiful models and actors you have ever seen. A world which worships the ideal of beauty and being ugliest means being the worst. A world where you are not merely different from the average person, but are objectively and recognizably uglier than the lowliest of the residents.
How easy it would be for anyone to curse fate and complain about the unfairness of it all. Those other deities did not appear to perform any lofty deeds. Why then, were they more deserving than the unfortunate god of the forge? Why should he be the miserable one, and not them, Hephaestus could have bitterly wondered.
Sadly, no complaint alone, as natural as it may be, will change anyone’s life for the better. Perhaps, as Hephaestus’ example indicates, we should try to hope for happier times, which is not even based on previous experiences. As strange as it might look to us, sometimes even such an unreasonable expectation works, “by virtue of the absurd,” to use Kirkergaard’s apt phrasing. That is the true power of positive thinking which the great Olympian demonstrated in the course of his life.
Hephaestus was chased away from the mount of Olympus by his own mother. His only fault was his marked difference. He was deprived of the company of his peers. He could go out to the lesser humans and enjoy their worship, but deep inside he knew he wasn’t ready for it. Even they would recognize him as being inferior in beauty to the other gods. He couldn’t face the humiliation, so he isolated himself from everyone else.
It was this lonely time that allowed him to find his inner worth. The ugly god turned out to be a forge master. His solid artistry was unparalleled by anything the beautiful and sophisticated gods such as Aphrodite or Apollo could contrive. Thanks to his difference and consequent isolation, he managed to unlock his inner potential. In many ways, Hephaestus became the worthiest, the most respected resident of his world. The beauty he had been anxious to find in himself, he recreated in his wonderful smithy. Thus, he filled that enormous hole in himself with what he associated with physical beauty. What he really needed was his own place in the universal scheme, however different it was, and whatever means led to it.
That is fundamentally what all of us, who are slightly different from the rest seek. It is not the sameness we want, but our place of honor that our difference deprives us of. Does it matter then, how we get to that respected position? Why should it, if it didn’t for the great god? Yes, he had his immense forging talent, but each of us has a no less valuable ability which can be applied in this world.
Hephaestus, with his mighty powers could launch a war of revenge on those who slighted him. No god could defeat his shields, not even Zeus himself. It would be so easy for him to get even, and take the superficial world down. He chose a different path, the only one that could make him happy. The patron of smiths found that working with his tools is all he ever needed. By being so self sufficient, proud of his work, and at the end, indispensable to the universal order, he found through hard work the respect he’d craved. As different as he was, he has gained the full measure of happiness. In the process, he elevated other gods in their self worth. They were comfortable with being shallow. Hephaestus showed them they could be more than that. They could like him for being what he was, as ugly as he had seemed to them. They could rise above the superficiality.
It is symptomatic that Aphrodite herself, the epitome of beauty, became his lover. She realized that, while beauty can be in the eyes of the beholder, the beholder doesn’t truly matter. As long as the god considered his work beautiful, he had that inner worth shining from the inside. It made him beautiful in his own right.
Hephaestus was a god. His aspirations though, represent those of the rest of us. He maintained the impossibly positive attitude in the most adverse circumstances, because there was no other choice for him. He was committed to being happy, no matter how hard it might become. He found his happiness by working with his abilities and so can we all. Whatever property we are lacking, there is something inside of us to compensate for it. We just need to take some time out to look for it and trust in the guidance of our instincts.
ISHAMAEL, mathematician, hypnotherapist, and rune reader, has practiced numerology for years and developed his own unique methods, based on his knowledge of math and ancient cultures. For further questions, contact Ishamael,
Archives 2007 
...each of us 