A Mythology for the Third Millennium...

By Donald Mayers

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Myth: noun. From the Greek mythos
1: a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon
2: a popular belief or tradition whose origin has been lost that has grown up around something or someone
3: a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence
4: the whole body of myths

 

When we look back on history, mythology has an importance and impact roughly the same as actual fact. Mythology is the source of our childhood fears, of things that go bump in the night, of things better left unnamed. Mythology is the sole source of religion. Mythology has served to answer life's greatest questions, if somewhat inaccurately. Roman and Greek mythology provided Sol and Helios, the sun gods. Scottish mythology gives us the Loch Ness Monster. American myths tell of Sasquatch or Big Foot and are paralleled by the Himalayan Rakshasa or Yeti. All of our Gods, demons, superstitions, heroes and heroines are alive in myth. But, I fear we have ushered them to death's door, and are asking for them, the long sleep.

As man's intelligence and wisdom increase we place more and more of our faith in the new religion...science. Man has mapped the genome. We know that people born with tails were not the result of an unholy union with a demon. We know the sun is not a blazing chariot pulled across the sky. We know the Earth does not rest upon the back of a giant turtle. I have enough concerns without worrying about a giant turtle deciding to take a walk closer to the sun.

So, where does that leave us now? All our true heroes are gone. Poor, strong Hercules shall never complete another task. I dread the time when we read children the tale of the great Orator who, with his mighty microphone, spoke for civil liberties and tax reform across the land! How about the tale of the brave President who was so quick witted he convinced a nation not to impeach him. Perhaps we shall read them the verses written about the dark and mysterious computer mogul and his evil plan to enslave the whole world with...compatible software!!! Yes, the children will hardly be able to sleep with such stirring tales of heroism and strength. I know my heart stirs when I hear such tales, or maybe it is only my stomach.

Are all our myths dead? Is there nothing left to make children hide under the blanket? "You tell the truth Tommy. Genocidal leaders of small Balkan nations are always looking for people who lie." Well, sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction. This is where we are right now. We don't need to create stories to entertain and frighten. We have reality. In the last fifty years we have created enough weapons of mass destruction to level Asgard one thousand times over. In fact, Nuclear Winter corresponds very closely to the Norse Ragnarok, the Doom of the Gods, or Gotterdamerung. It is the standard "end of the cosmos" including earthquakes, the "winter of winters", darkness, turmoil, boiling seas, etc, etc, etc. Pardon me, but that is just too much before bedtime.

We do have a sort of mythology, which corresponds well with this day and age. We have the Urban Legend. This is a legend that appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms, it contains elements of humor or horror, it makes good storytelling, and it does NOT have to be false. Although most are, many often have a basis in fact. Some of the more interesting titles for Urban Legends are as follows;

Organ Theft

Gangs Kill Sign Language Users

Hitler's Left Testicle

Islam Virgins And Executions

Vampire Killing

AIDS needle in theatre seat

Bear Eats Baby

Bugs In Ear

AIDS needle in phone booth

Animals Eating Corpses

Candiru in Urethra

Dying From Asteroid Strike

Power Window Death

Drunken Birds

Peeing On Third Rail

School Bus Beheading

Exploding Bears

Vending Machine Deaths

Lefties Die Younger

Toad Licking

 

Laughable or not, they have an origin in our own time and cities. Whether or not they are the result of a good sense of humor or a bad sense of paranoia, they are here for now.

The only myth we have that actually defies (if not embraces) modern science and logic is that of aliens. The concept only grows larger as we progress. We know there are no vast Martian cities on the red planet but there may be microbes, which live or lived on Mars. Our current understanding of the universe and just how vast it is certainly supports the concept of life on another planet, in another galaxy. Most prominent scientists believe it likely that life exists in space. Most prominent scientists also believe in God or some equivalent force or being.

Perhaps this is the only Mythology for the third millennium. We have the explanations for most of the other questions our ancestors sought. Science, education, and technology have given us the means to replace fiction with fact. What else is there? As a certain writer noted, space is the final frontier. Yes, we have been to the moon but this amounts to no more than sticking our toe in the water of a vast, deep ocean. Who knows what is really out there?

Aboriginal mythology tells of Mother Eingana, the world-creator, the birth mother, and maker of all water, land, animals, and kangaroos. Perhaps in the years to come our descendants will tell stories of beings from other planets who came to the Earth and created life. They will show their children pictures of ancient drawings, which bear a remarkable similarity to a humanoid in a space suit. Then again, there are more frightening options. They could tell of an ancient time before the Great War, when machines flew in the air and the oceans were clean. When people walked outside without the aid of air purifiers. When the sky was blue and most babies lived at birth.

The mythology for the third millennium can be either or none. It can be one of our choosing and our design. For there will always be questions that go unanswered and it is man's nature to find, at least, a temporary answer. Who made man? Who made the Earth? Maybe the aliens made man. Maybe God. And if God made man then you can thank him for giving you one last endless question to seek an answer for. Who made God?

The Time of the Naguals

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