Hout / Log: Discordia

Discordia · Jul 2, 01:40 AM by Hout

“I am chaos. I am the substance from which your artists and scientists build rhythms. I am the spirit with which your children and clowns laugh in happy anarchy. I am chaos. I am alive, and tell you that you are free.”

Thus speaks Eris, goddess of discordia, Chaos. This quote makes me happy. And yet, there are a lot of people who are mad at her. Maybe it’s because she caused Troy to fall. It’s a nice story:

Eris, upset at not being invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, showed up anyway and rolled a golden apple marked “kalliste” (“for the prettiest one”) among the guests. Each of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite claimed the golden apple as her own. Zeus, no fool, appointed Paris, king of Troy, judge of the beauty contest.
As Paris examined the goddesses individually (in the nude, of course, it’s a serious job), Hera promised to make Paris the lord of Asia and the richest man alive, if she got the apple. Paris said he couldn’t be bribed. Athena promised to make Paris victorious in all his battles, and the wisest man alive. Paris said there was peace in these parts.
Eventually, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite, who promised the love of Helen of Troy (magic’s in the air). Hera and Athena went off fuming to plot the destruction of Troy. Aphrodite got the apple, and Paris got screwed. Is that an Eiffel tower in your pants, or are you happy to see me? ;-)

I just saw The Butterfly Effect. A great thriller, but the chaos part, well, just left me unsatisfied. Harlan Ellison commented:

“If you understand that there is no such thing as chance, but only patterns we do not understand, you will cease to believe in phony religions, astrology, flying saucers, heroes and demons, good and evil, ghosts, the infallibility of politicians and all the other coo-coo distractions from clear thinking.
There is no chance. There is Chaos. And Chaos is Entropy Misunderstood. The world is not run by secret cabals, it is run by people who do not understand the systems within which they operate; and so they attempt to bend them to alternate purposes.
But Chaos will have its way. Those rivers will find their true courses, no matter how many dams of bigotry, greed, hatred and frenzy are erected. Chance favors the prepared mind. Chaos works to your benefit. Know as much as you can. Understand and remember.
Life has only one great lesson. It says to you Pay Attention. Whether in Chaos or Entropy, the more you know, the cleverer and more well-informed you are…the easier it is to ride the tide of Chaos, to achieve The Secret.”

Well, Harlan, Is that an Eiffel tower in your pants, or are you happy to see me? ;-)

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