Some time ago I was talking to someone, and I spoke of how the US appears to me at this time. I think it’s worth recording:
We were talking about conditions in the US. I said that, as it appears to me, the US seems like it is in a similar situation as Ithaca as written in The Odyssey . . .
Ithaca . . . and the US???
I said that the US seems to be in a position similar to Ithaca as written in The Odyssey by Homer. In The Odyssey, the kingdom of Ithaca is waiting for the return of its King, Odysseus, from the Trojan War. It’s been about a decade, but many people are confident that he will return, and are continually waiting. While they are waiting there are all these suitors trying to get the hand of his wife, the Queen, so that they can become King of Ithaca. Eventually, Odysseus finds his way back and, disguised, goes into the palace and defeats the suitors and makes himself known and retakes Ithaca as King.
The US, I said, is like Ithaca in that it is waiting for the return of their King who is missing. In the meantime, there are all these suitors or rather, upstarts, trying to as if take over and offer themselves as the King.
I then began to speak that this all revolves around what I call “The King”. I use this term in a specific way . . .
“The King” phenomenon
What is “The King”? I would say that the “The King”, as I use it here, includes these qualities:
- An image of authority. This can be a person or even a group of people, but it can also be a belief, an image of identity, and so on.
- It’s an image of a power. This power is what makes this image influential and have great meaning.
- A unity. The society feels unified in some way and there is a sense of belonging in the people.
- A purpose or meaning. There is a sense of a purpose or meaning in the society, as if we all have a specific thing to do in life that makes us valuable.
- A creativity, a dynamic quality, and vitality. There is this quality that life is “alive” and “happening”.
- There is a sense of security and well-being. People tend to feel safe and without too much anxiety.
“The King” is really a social phenomenon. In this way, it would really be more accurate to call it “The King phenomenon” but I use “The King” for short.
Aspects of “The King”
There are a number of important aspects related to “The King”:
- It refers to a power. In general, I use the name King in the context of “something is King” meaning that something has a power, is influential, and such. “The King” could be anything and does not necessarily refer to the person of a King or to anything in particular. It refers to “the power” and not “the thing with power”.
- It refers to a family. In particular, “The King” refers to a social power. This power tends to unite and define a society. As a result, it tends to give that society meaning and a security as well as belonging. In this way, “The King” has a quality not unlike parents or family. In some respects, one could say that “The King” refers to a “greater family”, of an entire people.
- It uses a symbol. This power, unification, and defining of a society often tends to be represented by a symbol, such as the person of a King.
Why I use the name King
There are a number of reasons why I use the name King. These include:
- At one point in the past it was sometimes mentioned what can be called the “two bodies of the King”. The first body refers to the actual body or person of the King. The other body refers to the power that was behind the King and gave him power. It was an almost mystical power that as if united the country. This power was viewed as something that as if passed from one King to another. This shows a sense of some “mystical power” that transcends the actual person of the King. This same quality is representative in “The King phenomenon”.
- It’s possible that the name “King” has origin in the world “kin” which refers to the people, clan, or group that the King represents. In this way, the King is representative of the people.
- “The King phenomenon” focuses on what can be called a “center”, often an image of something that as if unites and defines a group of people. This “centering” is reflective in the name “The King”, of a “something” that the society rally’s behind. In the past, this often was the image of the King, a person, who had this almost superhuman and divine quality and power in the society and that was the “center” of the society.
As a result, this Kingly power as if united and defined a people and gave it direction.
The absence of “The King”
When “The King” is absent there usually appears the opposite qualities as seen in the traits described above. For example, there are often qualities such as:
- There seems to be no direction in things
- There is nothing to look up to
- People are not united
- There is a sense of purposelessness
- There is an apathy
- People feel insecure and full of anxiety
As a result of this, the presence, or absence, of the “The King” phenomena has a great impact on the society.
The era of upstarts
As I said above, in the absence of “The King” there are many suitors, or upstarts, trying to be the King. It seems, to me, that a lot of what is going on nowadays (2022) is the behavior of upstarts. This is dominating a lot of things. This, of course, includes politics but it also includes other things as well. Some of these upstarts think that they have the “answer” or that they are “taking over” the country in some way. It’s because of its prevalence that I jokingly say that we are in “the era of upstarts” in the US as we wait for “The King” to arrive.
The fall of “The King” in the US
“The King” seems to of fallen in the US as a result of the end of the Cold War, or so it seems to me. During the Cold War the US had all the traits of “The King”. There was authority, a purpose, and such. Now, after the Cold War, all those traits are missing. As a result, it has the qualities seen when “The King” is absent. In this way, the US is much like Ithaca, with no King and filled with upstarts.
A sense of loss
This fall of “The King” has created a sense of loss. This, I think, is felt by many people. It might be one reason why many of these upstarts are as if trying to “save the US” and why many people act like things are going to fall apart. This sense of loss, it seems to me, plays a big role in American society today.
The current state of “The King”
At this time (2022) there does not appear to be anything that seems to come close to “The King” in the US. There are many upstarts but none of them have the qualities of “The King”. There’s also nothing unifying the country and there is really no great meaning. As it appears to me, I don’t think the current generation or upcoming generation are going to create “The King”. This means that it appears that we will be like Ithaca, having to wait awhile.
Gradations of “The King” phenomenon
Above I have only spoken of conditions where there is “The King” and when it is absent. In actuality, there are gradations. These create something like as spectrum which can go like this:
- There are times when its strong
- There are times when it is a presence in the society but not particularly strong
- There are times when it as if is “hanging there”, as if a haze, but with no real power or influence
- There are times when it seems a shadow
- There are times when its absent
It seems, to me, that it takes a specific condition to create a strong presence of “The King”. A good example is war or some other event that requires a strong unification of people. Without this condition “The King” usually has a quality seen in the lower forms.
In most cultures, “The King” seems to be in the middle three forms. These conditions can perhaps be described as “it’s there but it’s not necessarily powerful”. This makes many cultures have the quality of being somewhat unified, but they can be easily upset. That is to say, they are unified and the quality of “The King” is present if conditions allow it but some things can easily disrupt it to the point of even destroying “The King”. This is one reasons why many cultures can have ways that may of existed for centuries, which unify the country, but which are easily destroyed by some disruption or intrusion of another culture, for example. What this shows is that “The King” is not necessarily a solid thing in society.
“The King” in a large population of people
In a large population there are gradations in the type of “The King”. That is to say, there are groups of people with different versions of “The King” and, accordingly, each are in different stages of gradations. For example, in one group it can be a presence. In another it is particularly strong.
Ideals
The power of “The King” is so strong that its qualities become the qualities that people aspire to in that society. In this way, the qualities of “The King” become the ideals of the society and what people want to emulate and portray.
This desire for the ideal of “The King” is one thing that often unifies people and creates meaning and purpose in a population of people. This creates some of the effects of “The King” described above.
This pursuit of the ideals shows the power of “The King”. This power includes:
- Security
- Belonging
- Purpose
These are very important in life and are things people want and desire. Because of this “The King” is very influential in life. It causes things such as:
- It becomes the basis of a culture.
- It becomes the basis of belief.
- It becomes the basis of religion.
- It becomes the basis of want and desire.
In these ways, “The King”, and its effects, plays a major role in society and people’s lives. This is why its rise or fall is so critical. Its fall causes great despair and anguish in society and can even destroy a society. As a result, “The King” phenomenon is not something to look at lightly.
What it all means
What all the above means, to put it simply, is that the US is in need of things like leadership, unity, and meaning. Its just being said in a more elaborate way.
Copyright by Mike Michelsen
Mikes passing thoughts Blog 