Pandora’s Box

The story I am about to tell you is very old indeed. It’s said to have taken place in ancient Greece.

Long-long ago, humans didn’t know very much about anything yet. They had no fire to keep them warm or to roast meat on. They didn’t know how to work the fields or how to tame the animals, and they couldn’t read, write, or count. They lived in poverty and prayed to the many great gods.

The Greek gods inhabited a high and mystical mountain called Olympus. They liked to be admired. And they also liked the fact that humans were small and powerless — they couldn’t hold a candle to the gods. Humans had no possessions, they knew almost nothing. And the gods wanted to keep it that way.

Prometheus was a god, too, but he chose to live among the humans rather than among the other gods on the mountain. He was clever and brave. When he realised how badly-off the people were, he felt sorry for them and wanted to help them.

How did he do that? Well, he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the humans. Furthermore, he taught people how to use fire and technology. He showed them how to till the fields, how to raise animals, and how to build houses. He also taught them reading, writing, and mathematics.

The people advanced fast. Thanks to their new knowledge and understanding, they became much more independent and capable. They lived in happiness and prosperity for quite some time. But the better-off they became, the more they forgot about the gods. They stopped respecting them, stopped worshipping them, stopped listening to them.

But as the gods were very proud, they didn’t like this at all.…