Collab: Facundo Casartelli, Lawyer specializing in Private Law, Assistant at the Public Defense Ministry of the Argentine Republic, with extensive experience in National Public Administration (National Seed Institute) as well as in recognized law firms. An incredible human being, friend, colleague, and professional!
Recently, the city of Rio de Janeiro experienced temperatures exceeding 60°C, setting historical highs for the city. As a consequence of these extreme temperatures, Ana Clara Benevides, a 23-year-old woman who was attending a concert by the renowned singer Taylor Swift—who was visibly affected during the show—tragically died. This incident occurs in the very country that is home to the "lungs of the world" which is shrinking due to the constant deforestation in the Amazon over recent decades, significantly impacting the temperatures in the carioca capital.
This oxymoron of the present affecting our neighboring country deserves to bring to light a story that, despite its nearly three centuries of existence, is very illuminating of the scenario we may face in the near future if we do not evolve in our relationship with Nature.
Erysichthon was a king who owned vast lands in the Greek region of Thessaly. This man was known for his penchant for "celebration," as his castle frequently hosted parties and banquets. At these events, the king and his friends recklessly squandered whatever food could be found in his domain and generated large amounts of waste that affected the natural world. In other words, Erysichthon's court exploited nature in such a way that it was devastated solely to satisfy their festive desires.
However, this nobleman's addiction to banquets had reached such an extent that he had destroyed nearly all the forests surrounding his fief, leaving only the sacred grove dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, standing. In his eagerness to continue living a "good life," and against the advice of everyone around him, the Greek noble decided to seize the natural resources of the blessed forest. He would soon regret this decision. The sacred grove was inhabited by the dryads, nymphs who resided in the ancient trees of the land. Therefore, none of the men dared to follow their master's orders, so it was the lord himself who proceeded to make the first chop. From the cut in the tree flowed blood, and from deep within the forest, a hooded figure emerged, attempting to dissuade him and warning him to cease the impious act under penalty of a terrible misfortune. The king ignored the warning and continued his slaughter, despite recognizing the admonition. In a short time, the land that had hosted the sacred trees for thousands of years lay covered in blood. Outraged by the magnitude of the affront, a punishment was planned for the Thessalian noble. So great was her distress that she sought the help of her nemesis, Limos (Fames to the Romans), the goddess of hunger. Despite her enmity with Demeter, she came to the aid of her counterpart, as she too could not tolerate such a betrayal by a human. On the same night he rested after the grand feast made possible by the cutting of the sacred grove, he was visited by Fames. He woke up starving: it could be no other way, as she had taken up residence in his stomach. From that day on, nothing he ate satisfied him. Pigs, chickens, plates, tables—everything that crossed his path was devoured, but nothing could quench his appetite: food only made him hungrier. He even lost all his fortune and that of his family in his attempts to satisfy himself. People who had once admired him now saw him in the streets eating filth, though nothing was enough for his stomach. His greed reached such an extent that he began to sell his daughter, Mestra, as a slave to buy food, as she was all he had left. She had the gift of metamorphosis and always managed to escape from her masters to help her starving father. On one of her returns, she had to transform into a donkey to escape, and in that form, she went in search of her father. Upon seeing the donkey’s eyes, he recognized his daughter, and despite the emotion he felt for her perseverance in returning to his aid, he said, "I’m sorry, daughter, I’m hungry" and tried to eat his only descendant. In a desperate attempt to save herself, Erysichthon returned to the sacred grove, threw himself at the tree he had cut down, and begged for forgiveness. It was too late, as that very night, he began to eat himself. By the next morning, nothing remained of what had once been the richest man in Thessaly.
This story prompts us to reconsider our relationship with nature and the dangers of abusing it. In this regard, philosopher Dario Sztajnszrajber uses the case of the Thessalian king to reflect on our consumer society, which essentially devastates nature to turn it into an object whose sole function is to perpetually satisfy our addictive need to keep consuming. According to the philosopher: "the more we consume, the more we consume ourselves"
In this way, there is a nature devastated by a human being who has turned the world in which they live into merely a repository of resources for the fulfillment of our desires. As human beings, we must remember that we are entities belonging to that nature, and not masters who can dispose of it at will and pleasure, as Erysichthon did.
Consequently, we must do everything possible #ForABetterWorld and change the course of devastation we face from our respective positions. As the tragic case of the beloved Ana C.B. demonstrates, exploiting nature as we do puts us at risk of destroying ourselves, just as it happened to the infamous king.
Bibliography:
Lie the Truth VI. Special Democracy: Erysichthon of Thessaly- Canal Encuentro (Spanish: Mentira la verdad VI. Especial democracia: Erisicton de Tesalia - Canal Encuentro)
The Curse of Erysichthon: Demeter's Eternal Hunger Punishment - Mira la Historia / Mythology (Spanish: La Maldición de Eresictón: El Castigo del Hambre eterna de Deméter - Mira la Historia / Mitologia)
Fan Dies After Taylor Swift Concert in Extreme Heat in Rio de Janeiro" - Infobae (taken from The New York Times) and revista parati (Spanish: Muere una fan tras el concierto de Taylor Swift en el calor extremo de Río de Janeiro - Infobae (tomado de The New York Times) y revista parati)
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