My name is Hubris and I have a story to tell

My name is Hubris!! I am not sure about my origins you know, like who I was born to, who brought me up and I do not care also about that part of the story. Interesting part of my story is not my birth but my everlasting youth. Rulers, Warriors, Artists have all had the privilege to host me during my youth. I am invisible to my hosts during my youth as I enter their home as a companion to name, fame, glory and achievement. While my hosts are busy with my illustrious companions, I work silently. I do not mind remaining anonymous or invisible because longer the anonymity, greater the spectacles and Spectacles, I do love.

I have many stories to tell about me but will share couple of them because I would like to retain a bit of mystery about myself, right? Don’t be disappointed though, I will reveal couple of my techniques and harbors. One of my favorite places is Power. And the thing I hate the most is innocence. One of my earliest hosts were Jaya and Vijaya. They were the Gatekeepers of God’s Abode, Vaikuntha.

This was not a small reputation which they enjoyed. The most powerful of the Demigods and Sages used to keep them in good humor. Now one fine day; four Kumaras; (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Kumaras), during one of their sojourns, arrived at Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu. The city, with the residence of Vishnu located at the center of seven circular walls, is considered as a place of bliss and purity. It has seven gates of entry. The four Kumaras passed through the first six gates without any hindrance. The seventh gate was guarded by Jaya and Vijaya. And the moment I saw such a pure innocence and bliss, I had a controllable urge to destroy their innocence. I took hold of my hosts: Jaya and Vijaya and they started laughing at the Kumaras. Enraged, the Kumaras cursed them to be born on earth thrice, as three villains with characteristics of "lust, anger and greed". So all the Dramas of Ravana, Kumbhakarana et all started with me getting uncomfortable with innocence.

Now, innocence is a precious thing and I am aware of my lost innocence. I don’t remember when I lost it, but I am often bothered by that loss. So I over compensate that loss with false humility. That is my second trick. This is the trick I used with Odysseus. Odysseus had no reason to welcome me as guest as he had so many illustrious guests like courage, cleverness so on and so forth. When he was in the land of the Cyclopes;

He and his men find an unattended cave, filled with cheese, milk, lambs, milking implements, everything in perfect order, a shepherd’s dwelling. They take the cheese, they fill up, and against the advice of his men, and Odysseus makes them wait for the host. Now host was Polythemus, a massive Cyclops; son of the sea god Poseidon. As a Cyclops, he has one round eye in the middle of his forehead.

Polythemus was no generous host like Odysseus. I know of how good a host Odysseus was, he fed me, made me drunk to the extent that I started drinking Odysseus. Odysseus asks for hospitality from and he has a good laugh. He starts ripping his men and eats many of them. Next evening my host Odysseus offers powerful wine to Polythemus which he has brought with him. During this pretence of false humility, Odyessus introduces Himself as NOBODY. Polythemus likes the wine and gives a concession to Odyessus, promising that NOBODY will be his last victim.

Drunk with that powerful wine, Polythemus falls asleep. Odysseus and his men drive a stake in his eye and make him blind. Polythemus cries for help. His friends ask him  who is hurting him. He says NOBODY. His friends take it as influence of the wine. Still a Blind Polythemus wont allow them to leave as there is a heavy stone at the entrance of the Cave which Polythemus removes in the morning for the Goats to go out for grazing. In morning , Odysseus had to perform another clever act. He and his men slip away concealed under rams .As Odysseus board the ship, He feels in grip of me and he yells “  If anyone asks who got the better of you; who shamed you, tell them it was Odysseus, son of Laertes, from Ithaca.”

Cyclops asks his father Poseidon to destroy Odysseus and his ships, or at least make sure that Odysseus, if he makes it home, gets there all alone and finds trouble awaiting him there. And that is where I decided to leave Odysseus.

You might be curious, if I wanna give you a tip on how do I abandon my hosts before I perform such spectacles. Well, get connected with people who can name me. I know it is not easy, you will abandon such people as I grow inside you but if you have such people around you and you listen to them; I have to leave you. So do I lose some business by telling my story on Linkedin ? No ! Donot be so naive. Those who can see me in others ; are inviting me to be their guest. So here I am , doing a bit of marketing for myself at LinkedIn...