Cassandra and Jeremiah

The gift of prophecy; quo vadis? Most if not all wish for it. When it comes it often brings struggle.

What is one to do when the news is dissonant? Had Cassandra loved Apollo would her fate and that of Troy been different? Would Jeremiah now be the Beloved Prophet had he not trashed the people's belief in their exceptionalism?

It is a painful conundrum for me. I have worked and lived with many reminders of catastrophe bred in rejection of knowable outcomes. As a psychiatrist I should be more conscious that man on whole must put information into the context of human relations before it will be "believed" or can be applied.

Also the character of the prophet does make a difference. Man is a creature evolved seeking love and respect, before even self-preservation. The incapacity for that doomed Troy and Jeremiah.

As Mary Poppins understood; "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."