Pandora's Box

Me and my Father

Pandora’s Box tells the Greek myth of a woman; Pandora, who had a box that she’d been forbidden to open. The story goes that her curiosity soon got the better of her and she opened it, releasing all the ills into the world. Horrified, she slammed it closed, trapping hope inside. Supposedly this symbolises that when things seem bad, there will always be hope.

Grasshopper

I say supposedly because I’m not sure I buy that interpretation of the myth. I’ve always believed that the ancient civilisations of the world knew more than we give them credit for, and I believe this is one instance where their mythologies have been misinterpreted. Then again, I’m not an archaeologist, historian or Greek; so the only thing I have to base my theories on is personal experience. Whether or not you agree with my version isn’t the point. Naturally, I prefer mine.

Grasshopper and Dragonfly

Squishy and Squashy

Memories are funny things. We often don’t realise how many we have tucked away in the boxes of our minds, until something; an action or scent or word, reminds us and the memory is brought to the forefront. Some memories; based on anger, fear or pain, are hung onto for dear life, every detail vividly captured for us to dwell on; stoking the negatives and discarding the positives. Others are sealed carefully away, like dusty treasures; taken out every now and then to be fondly remembered before being gently packed away, the shine fading over the years and leaving only a soft glow to smile about.

Memories are Pandora’s Box. Filled with all the emotions, positive and negative that a human can feel in a lifetime. So often, we hold onto the negatives, the bad stuff, thinking that by doing so, we’re spiting the people who caused those emotions. When really, all we’re doing is drowning out the voices of the positives; the hope and love and strength that comes from having survived a bad experience and grown from it. How many people have found an empathy for others that they never had before experiencing similar pain? How many people have discovered their own strengths, only through picking themselves up again and again? Yet instead of seeing that, they cling to the idea that only by being angry, bitter or sad, can they continue. They fill their boxes with so much negativity, that the soft, gentle voices of hope and love are smothered under the brashness and ego that come with negative emotions.

My Extended Family

Then along comes Pandora; that meddlesome wonderful woman and with a simple action, she releases all those negatives, and sends them back to where they belong. Leaving behind a much lighter box, filled only with hope. Hope for the future, hope for a life that will be stronger and better and happier because it’s not weighed down by crap.

So now I have a question. What are you filling your box with? And is it worth the weight?