A Day on OlympusNovember 9, 1983Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.
One moment I was sitting in Mr. Beriau's English class and the next moment I was in a great, glowing hall. On either side of the hall were six thrones. On the thrones sat six gods and six goddesses. As I stood there, one of the gods spoke to me. He told me his name was Zeus. He was the king of the gods. He told me about the power he had as king of the gods. He told me that his power was awful to him. He could never be lighthearted and careless as long as he had such power, he could only brood, and think, and issue commands. From him I learned that great power is not always a wonderful or satisfying thing. The next person to speak was a goddess who called herself Athene. She told me of her infinite wisdom and knowledge. She said that her wisdom and knowledge often brought her great sadness. When I inquired as to the reason, she said that it was because she could see all of the sadness, disease, and cruelty on the earth and in the heavens. She said that she thought that humans were fortunate because they could never realize all of the evils around them. From her I learned that you couldn't always be happy just because you had what everyone else craved. People have to accept small inconveniences along with great gifts. The next thing that happened was that a great door at the far end of the hall opened to reveal the face of the Titan, Atlas. His face was red from the effort of upholding the earth and he was streaked with perspiration. He told me how difficult it was to bear a world on one's shoulders. He told me that he had thought it to be an insult to make him do such a task, at first. He also said that he had discovered that from where he stood, he could see the world very clearly. He said that he had seen that the world was not completely made up of sad things. He had seen things that many of the gods and goddesses did not notice because their lives were too taken up with wars against each other and against men. He told me that he had learned to see the good things in people and, therefore, he could better enjoy life. From him I learned that powerful people do not always have to be cruel or war-like people. Anyone can enjoy life if they allow themselves to see past the little flaws in people and things. My day on Olympus was very good for me. In that day I had learned that omnipotence and omniscience are not necessarily as desirable as people make them seem. I also learned that if people could look beyond small imperfections, they would realize that sadness is not the only thing in the world. After Atlas had spoken, I heard a bell ringing. Then the scene before me began to dissolve, the colours mixed and blended, and I was caught up in a maelstrom of light and colour. I must have lost consciousness, because the next thing I knew, I was in Mr. Beriau's English class again. I knew that I would never forget my day on Olympus. Please View and Sign My Guestbook © 1998-2000 Debbie Fletcher, joiya@tcia.net
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