Good morning, all you lovely people. How is life treating you? I very much hope you and yours are well. But if you aren’t, I hope, you and yours receive the support you need. 

I have been thinking about Kassandra a lot recently. You know, the Greek myth about the princess cursed to see the future, but no one believes her. A profound human experience there, in my opinion. 

 I was in my 20s when I read Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “The Firebrand” her re-telling of the Kassandra myth. I was absolutely fascinated by this strong character who just didn’t fit in anywhere besides maybe in the Amazon culture. Then Apollo turned up and cursed her. In those days, I didn’t understand why I felt so connected with her. Today I know that I have some 7th sense that can recognise certain aspects of the future without having any facts.

Yes, I know, all you science buffs raise your eyebrows now and think: “it’s not possible” but hey: there is more underneath the sun then science can explain. Just because science doesn’t have an explanation doesn’t make it wrong. Science either could not bother to investigate or it’s more complicated than our sometimes so simple brains allow us to comprehend. 

There is a reason why once ancient philosopher said: I know I know nothing!

But I digress. The reason I think of Kassandra is my feeling that today we are surrounded by Kassandra’s: 

Every single Democratic (or Republican for that) candidate in 2016 who predicted D. Trump abusing the office is the Kassandra, and every Republican and voter in general, who didn’t believe is the rest of the Trojan people. 

Every single remainer in the 2016 Brexit referendum who predicted that there wouldn’t be an excellent deal in place by the end of 2020 is a Kassandra, and those who believed otherwise are the rest of the Trojan people. 

Every single climate change scientist who tells the world for decades that we are on the brink of extinction is Kassandra, and those who believe that this is all lies are the rest of the Trojan people.

And I can’t stop wondering what our Trojan Horses are: Tabloids, certain political powers and our fearful psychological inertia maybe? Or is my feeling right, that we are at a crossroads in human history and we are learning who helps us to develop and survive as a species and as societies and who doesn’t? 

There have been crossroads before where humankind changed forever: the invention of farming, the wheel, book print to name just a few. Those who lived through these times must have experienced similar things we do: the powerful of the olden times desperately trying to turn back the wheel of time; crooks trying to abuse the new inventions for their gain and those who have a vision for a better future for them all.

Humankind managed. We evolved. However, we were never capable of destroying our whole planet. This challenge is on an utter new scale and needs utterly new solutions. Solutions that I feel can’t be found in a single already existing belief-, political or social system. It can’t be found only in science or philosophy. I feel we need to bring all the wisdom every single of these systems offer together and create something new. We need to think bigger. Much bigger. 

And we need to think like a collective and not like individuals. Not like individual people. Not like individual communities. Not like individual societies. Not like individual races. We need to think like a collective of human beings who are responsible for this planet and each other and ourselves!

 I have no idea how to achieve this. Seems to me hard enough to take responsible decisions for me, let alone the rest of humanity or the whole planet. But maybe that is something that needs to develop by itself. Perhaps we simply need to be Kassandra, speak our truths and then let things evolve. 

But why, Kassandra, why, does that feel like we could be doomed?