Echo was a
beautiful nymph, a favorite of Artemis, and incredibly fond of talking. One
day, Hera went looking for Zeus, who she assumed was with the nymphs somewhere,
and met Echo. Echo had the idea to distract Hera while all the other nymphs
escaped by talking; when Hera found this out, she cursed Echo and made it so
Echo could only ever reply, never speak first. Echo fell in love with Narcissus
and pursued him relentlessly. Narcissus was too self absorbed to love Echo and
after meeting her once, he rejected her. The only reasonable thing she had left
to do was hide in caves until she died, and there was nothing left of her but
her voice. Narcissus's cruelty was pretty typical; he met his end by staring at
his reflection in the water, forgetting to eat or drink and refusing to leave
the image.
There's a
long list of narcissists I dislike, but Hitler is kind of hard to beat in that
area. He was self-centered and obsessed with power and control, much like
Narcissus in the myth. On the opposite hand, I picked an altruistic group that
I admire instead of a person. Going along with today's date being Veterans Day,
I thought immediately of Team Rubicon, a volunteer organization that centers
around returning war veterans. Team Rubicon employs war veterans and their
unique set of skills and abilities to aid disaster stricken areas. Veterans
experiencing difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life are
surrounded by a group of people who know exactly what they're going through,
while also discovering a new purpose for their abilities and self-worth from
recognizing the impact one individual can make.
Bulfinch. "Echo and Narcissus in Greek Mythology."
Mythography. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.loggia.com/myth/echo.html>.
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