Icarus

It’s hard to criticize a person for dreaming of great accomplishments, even when his or her capacity to succeed them is inadequate. We could argue that at least Icarus tried to do something amazing, and that, even if he smashed his brain while trying it, he enjoyed a few moments of complete glory, feeling the breeze brushing his face while seeing Greece from a view point that no other human did before, and maybe knowing what the gods feel all the time.

I don’t think that his dream was his weakness. His lack of preparation was. He was warned that wax wasn’t strong enough to hold his wings if he flew too close to the sun, and yet, at the moment, he though that he could do it. How many times have I done something like this? How many times did I believe that a mediocre preparation would be enough to accomplish great feats?

I still envy Icarus. Before he took a dive into the hard ground (they probably didn’t even need to dig a grave for him!), he had the thrill of his life, one that I will never know of, since I have been taught to be so careful, and because, at least in that regard, I actually heard and learned.