In the early Greek imagination, the past and present were “before us”, visible, and the future was behind our backs. The best preparation for an invisible future is to turn around.
This concept of time is reflected in works like Sophocles. Antigone. The oversights that we talk about today’s crisis are often overlooked.
Think about the story. Some characters try to right the perceived mistakes, but a spiral into tragedy. Antigones celebrates the tradition of God’s burial for her brother Polinis and is considered a traitor by the nation. Thebes King Creon has enforced state laws prohibiting burials of traitors. Hemon pleads his father to reconsider. Antigone’s younger sister, Ismene, encourages moderation. When Tyresias, the blind prophet, tells the king that he is “standing at the edge of the razor,” Creon dismisses him as a partisan. Tiresias responds, “Even now, the wrath of the revenge will await you, and will have prey when the evil caused by your actions returns to you” – and prophesied the punishment of Creon: the burial of Antigones and the death of his son with the unburied body of her brother.
After Tiresias leaves, the chorus persuades Creon to reconsider. He accepts and decides to release Antigones and the Polinis of Burial. It’s too late. Antigone hangs herself. Seeing this, Hemon tries to kill his father, fails, and takes his own life. Hearing the death of her son, Creon’s wife, Eurydis, also commits suicide.
Sophocles’ play is not an early version of Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience. There is more than the courage of conscience. The past is “before us,” and there’s more to say.
Antigone’s Tragic Idealism: While celebrated with a conscience over tyranny, we forget the chorus that first supported Creon: “You have the power to make any laws you desire.” We already weep for the power of the people after having the leader surrender it.
Cleon’s appeal to order: Thebans longed for stability following the Civil War, in which Antigone’s brothers (power-hungry rivals who betray both the country and their relatives) killed each other in battle. Creon expressed order after chaos. Our accomplices precede rage.
Self-destruction of control: Those who fear disability over injustice will undoubtedly produce both. The strict enforcement of Creon’s order violated God’s laws and caused the confusion he tried to hinder. His lament – “The stubborn man’s mistakes are crude and cruel” – is too late.
Get what we see. – Tiresias, the visionary who predicted Creon’s future, was blind. “Blind Prophet” is an abbreviation that is familiar to all cultures. Unlike prophets who merely convey the orders of destiny, Tiresias warns of preventable disasters and avoidable tragedies. Creon sees too many things he has seen before: the threat of confusion and the fear of the people, and the way he brings him to power, promises his sword, and blows away too many of those who die with his sword.
Tension extends beyond the play:
-
As my 60s political leaders provocatively pointed out, “Without Creon, there is no antigone” law provides a framework for moral action. Civil rights leaders broke the law, but accepted the outcome. Protesters rely on the system they challenge.
-
After surviving addiction, Leslie Jamison said, “I am completely equating with finding freedom at boundaries because I see the truth differently.” The bonds that are bound are the best.
-
Strict morality cannot adapt to an evolving world. The real message of tradition is not “Repeat what we said!” Rather, “Act as we did!” The truth itself remains the same as time, but how we respond. The practically challenged prophet’s call challenged Creon’s indomitable principle, “The traitor must die” – “Think again.” Moral wisdom lies in recognizing principles when they require reevaluation.
Finally, consider Carl Jaspers, who has walked through the Holocaust and weaved a tragic vision into the Christian faith. For Jaspers, tragedy becomes noble when they meet trust and openness. Abraham sets out on the land of promises that “I don’t know where he is heading,” and is guided only by God’s promises that do not point to the way.
Dignity, justice and freedom are their own promised lands. In the Bible, memories are inseparable from hope – survival from oppression – God’s judgment is mercy. But great hope is not necessarily good news, and the truth often becomes unsettling. The Bible declares: “You will know the truth, and the truth will free you” – not before it drives you to the wall. The apostle Paul said, “With fear and trembling I will resolve your salvation.”
The latest crisis is always the worst, but authoritarianism, disinformation and political violence have existed throughout history. Apart from the bloodshed of the country’s early years through the Civil War, recent times give examples of blinding eyes. In 1939 alone, the Pro Nachi Rally at Madison Square Garden attracted 20,000 Americans adjacent to George Washington’s image. Extremist groups like the Christian Front plotted bombings to cause confusion. The respected politicians worked with Nazi propagandists to spread fascist ideology. Father Coughlin’s radio show “The Golden Time of Little Flowers” embraced the views of the axis, reaching millions more than Rush Limbaugh. The conspiracy theory targeting the Jewish community surprised fear. Echoes today’s disinformation campaigns, including canons and election fraud claims. Fear-inducing Senator Joe McCarthy, who was named “Tale Gunner Joe” due to his exaggerated claims of heroism, engages in a guided witch hunt against the communists, destroying countless careers.
Again, under the guise of God, extremists squeeze fear and division, causing havoc that otherwise streamlined by intelligent people.
We can take our hearts out of what we have faced before. The future lies behind our backs. Remembering what was true in the crisis that shook the country, we were able to return to move forward again.
Notes and reading
Supporting the Future: Classic Traditions and their Updates – Bernard Knox (1994). Knox was a classic scholar celebrated for his work on ancient Greek literature and tragedy. He was the first director of the Harvard University Hellenic Research Center and was praised for his interpretation. Sophocles. (Help Knox, I’m responsible for what I say here Antigone. )
Ars Vitae: Inward-looking Destiny and Return of Ancient Living Arts – Elizabeth Rush Kin (2020). Rush Kin is an intellectual historian known for her cultural criticism and her commitment to American social thought.
Travel back: Towards global political theory -Susan McWilliams-Barndt (2014). McWilliams-Barndt will chair Pomona College’s political division and co-edit the journal American political thoughts. [Her father, political moral philosopher Wilson Carey McWilliams, was my “’60s political mentor” and longtime friend.]
Leslie Jamison – Jamison is an essayist and novelist known for his exploration of empathy, pain and addiction. Her groundbreaking collection, Empathy test (2014) established her as a key voice for creative non-fiction, combining memoirs with cultural criticism and journalist research. Jamison is the director of the Graduate Non-Fiction Program at Columbia University.
Carl Jaspers – Tragedy is not enough (1969) – “The Basic Characteristics of Tragedy.” Jaspers was a German Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher, and had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry and philosophy.
Bible references -Genesis 12, Hebrews 11:8; John 8:22, Philippians 2:12.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France – What you do about Macron’s troubles in France, the diplomats have admitted he is the best of them to deal with Donald Trump. Seth David Radwell’s “Steps to Healing – A Low-Quasi Proposal” (Subsack) The division of America – February 24, 2025).
Tip #185-What do you want?
Tip #184 – A democratic miracle
Approximately 2 + 2 = 5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
