Blood Glistens Brighter Than Gold

Iffat Mirza, Cambridge

In Greek Mythology, the saga of King Midas unfolds as a cautionary tale of insatiable desire. Longing for boundless wealth, Midas beseeches the mythical deity Dionysus for the gift of the golden touch. The deity, moved by the king’s plea, grants his wish, rendering every object he touches to turn to gold. Yet, the gleam of gold swiftly transforms from blessing to curse as Midas grapples with the unintended consequences, culminating in the moment when his beloved daughter succumbs to the same fate.

Insatiable desire. Two rather chilling words when put together like that. What can it do to us? Is it enough for us to hurt ourselves? Perhaps hurt our own children? Perhaps, even others’ children?

It seems everywhere we turn today we are ruled by Midases. Though hardly gold, it seems everything they touch turns to spilled blood.

With every headline, every image, every interview, we see the situation in Gaza ever-worsening. And I cannot pretend to hide behind some beautiful words or elaborate metaphors to describe the disappointment I, as many others, feel when I hear the words ‘ceasefire is not possible’. It is simply chilling.

When must we admit that oppression only thrives when others let it thrive? When they make a thousand and one excuses for the oppressor and when they simply cannot make any more excuses, they will contentedly turn a blind eye. It was Gandhi who said, ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.’ Well, what happens when the world chooses to be wilfully blind?

The blood of over 5,000 children is not enough to make hardened hearts stir.

Here we are in the 21st century when propaganda and misinformation is rifer than ever, we must remind ourselves of what war, in today’s day and age, primarily is. The nature of war and warfare has changed, making it, in most cases, a matter of business. And as we all know, business must be profitable. The global arms trade is currently worth over $112 billion. In 2022, Global military spending reached $2.2 trillion. That’s more money than most will ever see in their entire lives. But a few select people will certainly see that in their lives and will do so at any cost. Perhaps, like Midas, they also struck some sort of deal with some powerful entity. The riches that line their pockets, like Midas’ gold, is an ever-seductive lure and one without any consequence – at least not a serious one (civilian deaths don’t count as a serious consequence it seems, neither do the cries of millions of protesters around the world).

Maybe they do fancy themselves some sort of kings and heroes from Greek mythologies. I just truly hope they know that we tend to consider the stories of such heroes as tragedies. Tragedies brought by a fascinating concept called ‘hubris.’ Hubris describes the excessive pride and arrogance especially when it involves defiance of the challenges to the natural order. The concept of hubris has influenced literature, philosophy, and discussions of morality throughout history. And it is no less important today.

It was only when Midas realised his touch would not spare even his own daughter did he come to know that his insatiable desire was the cause for his heartbreak. You would think someone whose every touch turned everything into spilled blood rather than gold would be quicker to realise the reality of the curse. Like gold, blood reflects light. Perhaps it even glistens brighter. Bright enough to blind the Midases we have today.

I don’t know. Maybe that’s too naïve and optimistic of me.