Click here to access article by Edward Curtin posted on Titanic Lifeboat Academy,
a website administered by dear friends who have dedicated so much of
their lives to alerting others that what we are doing is causing the
destruction of our very own habitat.
The way I see it, no reference must be made to some obscure painting by a 16th century painter and to ancient mythology that are only known by a few highly educated people in the 21st century.
No, I think because there is so much evidence all around us in the 21st century that suggests that we, the people, have been so ground down, so inured to the suffering of others and the destruction of nature by the ruling capitalist class. Our masters in this class live by the principle that "there is not such thing as society, there are only families" (with some consideration for our neighbors so as not to offend them), and that we should no longer be moved by the suffering of others and the destruction of our habitat.
Unfortunately, our masters have insured that we were taught to believe only in our happiness and comfort and that of "our" patriarchal families (an extension of ourselves), that we, like they, don't care about the plight of others. It is because of such indoctrination that we in the 21st century have become uncaring about the suffering of others because of what we, our neighbors, and our masters do. We look away so as not to be disturbed by these ugly sights.
Like Icarus of ancient lore, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange refused to follow what they had been taught. They were so stricken with the awareness that what we do causes the suffering of others that they had to report these facts.
Still, the Icarus in each of us cannot be completely disappeared and forever--there is much risk for our masters in such behavior.