Saturday, January 08, 2005
Oedipus and Tsunami Victims – Are They Fated?
The natural disaster happened on 26th December 2004 has caused an alarm among people all over the world. Many of those directly and indirectly affected by the disaster are asking, “Is it Acts of God?” or “Is it an inevitable fate?”
I would like to draw the attention to the Greek tragedy “Oedipus the King”. Oedipus has tried to avoid the fulfillment of the oracle that prophesies that he will kill his own father and marry his own mother. So he leaves Corinth and comes to Thebes and helps the people to solve the riddle by the Sphinx. Then he becomes the king and marries the widow, Iocasta. However, the truth reveals latert hat the wife whom he has slept with is his own mother!
Many might say that Oedipus is fated to fulfill the oracle. But I personally feel that if Oedipus is not persistent in pursuing the truth and if he desn’t kill Lauis for self-defense in the beginning, he might be able to run away from fate.
I feel that if each one’s moment of death is already fixed or fated, there would be no need for us to avoid dangerous situations or to care for one’s health, and safety precfautions would not alter mortality rates. Then why do we care for our health or take our children to the doctor? Why are there fewer fatal accidents when drivers obey traffic laws? Obviously, taking precautions is beneficial.
The same answer goes to Tsunami victims. According to science explanation, the earthquake is caused when a huge tectonic plate slips and crashes onto another tectonic plate. It is quite simply, planet earth making occasional adjustments to its tectonic plates. Therefore, it is nothing personal. It is not the wrath of God. It was not a test of humankind.
There is warning given even before the outbreak of Tsunami but many people ignore because they don’t believe it. This is what happened to fatal accidents when people ignore the rules and warnings. Therefore, it is important for us to take precautions. We also should do well to count our blessings and appreciate life a little more.
I would like to draw the attention to the Greek tragedy “Oedipus the King”. Oedipus has tried to avoid the fulfillment of the oracle that prophesies that he will kill his own father and marry his own mother. So he leaves Corinth and comes to Thebes and helps the people to solve the riddle by the Sphinx. Then he becomes the king and marries the widow, Iocasta. However, the truth reveals latert hat the wife whom he has slept with is his own mother!
Many might say that Oedipus is fated to fulfill the oracle. But I personally feel that if Oedipus is not persistent in pursuing the truth and if he desn’t kill Lauis for self-defense in the beginning, he might be able to run away from fate.
I feel that if each one’s moment of death is already fixed or fated, there would be no need for us to avoid dangerous situations or to care for one’s health, and safety precfautions would not alter mortality rates. Then why do we care for our health or take our children to the doctor? Why are there fewer fatal accidents when drivers obey traffic laws? Obviously, taking precautions is beneficial.
The same answer goes to Tsunami victims. According to science explanation, the earthquake is caused when a huge tectonic plate slips and crashes onto another tectonic plate. It is quite simply, planet earth making occasional adjustments to its tectonic plates. Therefore, it is nothing personal. It is not the wrath of God. It was not a test of humankind.
There is warning given even before the outbreak of Tsunami but many people ignore because they don’t believe it. This is what happened to fatal accidents when people ignore the rules and warnings. Therefore, it is important for us to take precautions. We also should do well to count our blessings and appreciate life a little more.
# posted by Dr. Yee Bee Choo @ 1:10 PM 
