Lotophagian Greed

In book nine of Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus tells of how he and his men came upon an island populated by the Lotophagians – people who do nothing but eat the Lotus plant, "which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home." Odysseus forced the three of his men who had eaten this plant back onto their boat, "though they wept bitterly."

These three men wanted to stay, to be forever under the effects of the illusion of the lotus, to the point that they would forget everything that thus far had given their lives meaning.

There is a desire indulged by many on the left to have all things taken care of, to be free of worry, free of hardship, free of stress, free of the toil and difficulty of life. It can be a wonderful thing to have abundance, to live a life where you are free to do as you please and where your needs and desires are taken care of.

But it can also be a gentle curse, as dangerous as the rocks to which the Sirens of that same Odyssey lured their prey.

It is this desire to which modern day liberals or progressives are appealing; it is this curse to which their agenda seeks to subject us, and it is this temptation that has drawn many supposed conservatives to also indulge in liberal programs and spending.

People often reflect longingly about a time in their past when everything seemed "simpler, people were healthier, air was cleaner, people were more prosperous on one income than they are now on two, morality was stronger, the world was more civilized."

That time is called childhood, a time when our parents were taking care of everything, worrying the great worries and providing us with what we needed.

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