Before he fell, he flew
My favorite Greek Mythology story will forever be the story of Icarus and Daedalus. The father/son duo that to most, teach a certain life lesson — but to others, teach a completely different one.
It starts with Daedalus. An inventor — so well known for his expertise that he was instructed by King Minos to build a labyrinth to hold the great minotaur. The twist, however, was that King Minos had to keep the labyrinth a secret. So, despite his abilities, the King stuck him in the labyrinth, bringing his son, Icarus, with him.
Daedalus knew his maze enough to know there was no easy way out. In fact, there was only one way out. With King Minos watching the seas, the only way to escape — was up. He went about finding feathers. Using wax, he was able to create two sets of wings like a bird. The plan was to fly out of the labyrinth.
Before they set off, Daedalus told Icarus he must be careful. Fly too close to the sea and he’ll be swept under the current; but fly too close to the sun and the wax wings will melt and he will fall. And then they took off — and despite his father’s warnings, he flew too close too the sun and fell.
Supposedly, the main moral of the story is to be careful of the dangers of the world, because they could ultimately lead to your demise. However we are free to yearn for things we want, but they can be what breaks us in the end. Each piece in this story represents something in our mortal lives. Daedalus represents reason — the person who keeps us grounded and stick to what is safe. King Minos represents a sort of God — the one who restrains us in this “mortal realm.” The labyrinth represents our lives and the journey of living. Lastly, is Icarus. He represents every desire we have. The good and the bad.
Even with these morals, I believe there is much more to the story than first glance.
It is said that the reason Icarus flew too close to the sun was due to his excitement; His utter joy as he flew through the air. He experienced so much of it that he supposedly forgot his father’s words. Which led to his wax wings melting. I’d like to think that this doesn’t make Icarus foolish for flying too close to the sun. I think that he was actually doing exactly what he intended to do.
Oscar Wilde wrote, “Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight. For the greatest tragedy of all is never to feel the burning light.”
I don’t think that we have some sort of humanly obligation to remain in-between the ocean and the sun. It may be the safe spot in life but it isn’t fulfilling enough. Daedalus wanted to escape the labyrinth, while Icarus just wanted to fly. They both succeeded their goals and yet Daedalus is deemed the one who lived. But did he really?
The irony of the whole situation is that Daedalus spent his life following the orders of others to the point he was confined to one of his very own creations. Even when he escapes, he is confined to that sweet spot from the ocean to the sun, not daring to fly too close to the other. While Icarus, whom has mostly known the labyrinth to be his home his whole life, would rather die sooner being free than live forever in a life of confinement. So no, I don’t think the moral of the story is to stay in that “sweet spot.” Staying alive is not the same as living.
A last piece of beautiful literature I want to share is a quote by John Green, in his story, “Looking for Alaska.”
“When adults say ‘Teenagers think they are invincible’ with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are.
We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.
…Thomas Edison's last words were: ‘It’s very beautiful over there.’ I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.’”
The moral was never to “stay safe.” It was that even though you may feel restricted through out life. When you have the opportunity to truly live — to feel unparalleled joy — you take that opportunity. Because you may not get that chance again, even if it means your wax wings will melt. At least you got close to the sun.
