
In one telling of the myth, Prometheus attempts revenge on Zeus by aiding human revolt in three ways. First, he erases each person's knowledge of the day of his or her death. Up until then, humans, according to Greek lore, were born knowing the day they would die, a built-in sense of limitation. Then, having removed their sense of finiteness, Prometheus filled their heads with dreams larger than what they could achieve. Finally, to complete his mischief, he gave them fire, the power, so it seemed, to achieve these dreams.
It's also a modern tale. We can lose our sense of mortality or limitation. We have been raised with the lie that we can be anything and achieve anything we desire. With the power to broadcast our message, our self—in a video, a tweet, a picture, or a blog—we can build our brand, enlarge our platform, and amplify our voice. Like creatures in the Promethean myth, we have illusions of limitless possibilities, ambitions of greatness, and the fire of our ...
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