Medea Looks Over

What happens to the heart that has run out of love? Will you feed it to the hungry torrent of rage? Medea looks over, watching you with bated breath.

Hurt is a strong emotion that dwells within us and can drive us to do things we’re either proud or ashamed of. Everyone has a great hurt that sits with them. Many of us choose to bury it deep within inside, to prevent us to act at all. However, how can we be so sure that hurt won’t influence our lives and our decisions. 

The story of Medea in ancient Greece is often tied to the hero Jason and the Argonauts. Her myths tell of her betrayal at the hands of the hero, and her subsequent murder of him and their children together. Medea’s hurt has become both a sort of cautionary tale as well as a telling of the witch’s curse when you cross and betray.

I can certainly conjure up memories of when hurt influenced major decisions in my life. Many nights were spent alighting that feeling into a fuel that can propel me forward. In a way, igniting that hurt ended up killing me in very subtle ways. What I found was a healthier way to move forward with it was to revisit that hurt and try to deconstruct it. In a way, it’s a more personal way of getting to know yourself and how you understand the world. It’s an uncomfortable reality to come face to face with, but there are many things you can learn when looking into yourself.

Medea in the old parables is defined by her lingering rage, but we have the choice of telling our stories. At least, life gives us the ability to define how our scars represent us.