Oracles

Words, and what we make of them

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” President Trump

When it comes to the history books covering the 21^st Century, surely those words will ring, not with truth, but with a resounding sense that a world leader had the means – and the intent - to literally erase one of the oldest cultures on the planet, for no particular purpose other than his own pique and hubris.

His statement will stand as some sort of pinnacle, a nexus point, a ridge of no return, a claim to lordship as no other earthly ruler has ever claimed. It is the working definition of genocide. A crime and atrocity by any previous human standard.

And yet it stood, like a grusome ultimatum, across every horizon, like a menacing fury rapidly approaching.

Oracles of our time

Statements from oracles, prophets, fools and fortune cookies have a strange way of coming true.

Even ‘weaving” presidents get it right once in a while.

Not always as expected

I have been intrigued by oracles and prophecies for many years. These are statements that, first, are not always what they seem, and second, tend to be frustratingly vague.

I had always thought that prophecies and prophets were intentionally vague because they did not want to be wrong.

But now I am convinced that prophets are most afraid of being right.

Prophets that lie, or go along with accepted, comfortable truths never get in trouble. Only prophets who tell the truth get into trouble.

Prophets who lie are common throughout history – and our everyday experiences. From hucksters on a screen to religiously flavored sycophants or politicians marketing themselves, we are drenched in lies.

The truth is, and always has been, dangerous territory.

But the truth will not stay hidden forever.

Or even long enough for us to escape its relentless grasp.

The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most respected and influential religious institutions in ancient Greece. People of all classes and stations in life from all over the ancient world sought its prophecies, convinced that the oracle could provide divine guidance.

And it did. In its own way. Or in a way people could understand. Or convince themselves that they understood.

One of those who sought the oracle’s counsel back then was Croesus, the immensely wealthy and unquestionably powerful king of the thriving kingdom of Lydia. He was considered the wealthiest man in the world – and leader of an unstoppable army.

He had a simple question; should he invade another country or not?

He heard what he imagined to be a positive answer – one every invading king wants to hear; “If you cross the Halys River, a great empire will fall.”

The king, with victory in his eyes, saw that message through his own hazy lens, and imagined that the statement could only mean one thing – but apparently he had not realized that oracles and prophesies almost never say “one thing”.

If, when you feel the need to buttress your actions or life philosophy with slogans, ancient prophecies or oracles, you would be wise to be particularly prudent when it seems that divine forces align with your own biases and preferences. If your deity is a captive, and subject to your ideals and prejudices, you need a larger belief system.

It was his own empire that fell – and, in a peculiar stroke of historical resonance to our own times, his kingdom was absorbed by the then burgeoning Persian Empire.

Oracles and prophesies are the ultimate litmus test – even mirror. The answer, or at least the response to the answer, often has more to do with who is asking the question than what the intended topic may have been. And the divine perspective is always, always, larger than the one asking the questions.

A wise person hears those words as they were spoken; hovering, ominous, promising, and above all, not even remotely invested in the petty affairs of humans. Their wisdom, their magic, as CS Lewis and Tolkien might have put it, was far deeper than any one battle or encounter. And what seems small in the eyes of a king, just might have divine consequences far beyond any imagining.

And what might seem of immense importance – and value – to a king, might have little value, or even use, as destiny unfolds.

The shepherd boy may become king, the king may become a raving, paranoid, jealous and delusional lunatic; these are all themes of ancient history – if not today’s headlines.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is….

One rule of oracles (and magic mirrors) is to be prepared for answers you might not like.

Whether it is beauty or respect or success, comparing, judging and asserting one’s own pride, asking for divine confirmation is the ultimate fool’s game.

Another story from the Ancient Greeks is when a king asks the ultimate foolish question; who is the most loved person in the kingdom. He, of course, like every vain leader, expects it to be himself, but it is not.

It is a humble man, loved by his family and his village. A simple man known for his dedication and sacrifice for the larger good.

Respect and even happiness, every oracle knows, is not in power, or wealth, and certainly not threats of destruction, but in courage and compassion, and kindness – especially to strangers or to those who could never repay.

This is what every oracle, every prophet, every scripture knows.

Kings are often the last to know what truly matters to their people. And they are also often the last to realize the limits of their own power and influence.

Kings and leaders like to imagine that their constituents love and respect them. Or at least admire them. But like the legendary mirror from Snow White, the answer they get is not what they expect.

Most of us would be happy if most of our politicians remembered that their highest – if not only - calling is to serve the people, and most people want their government to either do good things or leave them alone.

Surveys of the happiest nations in the 21^st Century world show the Scandinavian countries consistently among the top five.

The primary reason is that people feel cared for and taken care of.

The USA barely makes the top twenty-five. Few Americans in the 21^st Century feel cared for and taken care of on a regular, daily basis.

A core assumption of a healthy society is that each generation is healthier, stronger and more financially stable than the previous one.

Few Americans believe that of themselves or their nation in 2026.

And we don’t need an oracle to tell us that we, not long ago the world’s sole super power, are the nation, the kingdom, the civilization most at risk.