Medusa and Applied Mythology
Medusa: a monster which cannot be easily slain. Medusa, head of many snakes, which multiply upon decapitation. Cut off one head and two more emerge.
Take the modern day problem of loneliness. There are many facets or heads to this problem, and decapitation of a head, rather than of the main source, leads to more problems and no real long term cure.
A boy feels lonely, and lacking of intimacy or sexual contact.
So he searches up some porn, to alleviate this suffering.
His suffering is temporarily alleviated, to some degree. But the long term consequences means that now he's got a distorted sexual appetite. He's not learned any social skills or cultivated himself. Rather, arguably, he has deteriorated himself.
His loneliness returns, eventually, but now he also battles several new problems (medusa snakes), because he's more awkward and less in touch with reality.
Then, he decides he'll try and go out and find some people to talk with. So he goes to a bar and gets drunk. He finds bad people to hang out with. They use each other to get drunk, and never really get to know each other. They become more lonely, but now they've also built up a desire for alcohol or maybe even other drugs.
And the heads keep popping up. And the battle becomes more and more difficult.
Now, the real cure to the problem requires something akin to heroic action. It requires wisdom to see the folly of the current path. It requires difficult action of facing up to one's problems. Going to the source. Being willing to burn a lot of dead wood off.
You have to make meaningful relationships, if you want to actually combat the loneliness. The Medusa at the source of all the other problems.
So you see, Mythology isn't abstract art. It's highly useful and hyper real.
What's the most efficient way to deal with hunger?
Does fast food bring its own set of problems with it? If the answer is yes then Medusa is afoot.
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