Icarus

First, my version of the story of Icarus.

- Icarus's Dad, Daedalus, builds a Labyrinth for King Minos so that he could imprison the Minotaur.

- Minos traps one of his enemies in the Labyrinth. Daedalushelps the guy get out.

- Minos gets pissed and tosses Daedalus and Icarus into the Labyrinth.

- Daedalus makes two pairs of wax and feather wings so that he and his son can escape.

- When he gives Icarus wings, Dad-alus warns him to not fly high, as the sun will melt wax wings.

- Icarus takes off. He becomes enthralled by flying, forgets his father's warning, and flies high.

- The wax of his wings melts because of the sun's heat, and Icarus plummets into the ocean.

- He dies and they name the sea after him, the Icarian Sea.

So the moral of the story is don't be an idiot and listen to warnings, right? Icarus had been warned that he should not fly too high and he ignored the warning. He acted recklessly and without heed and deserved his fate. The world is better off without him.

This is the attitude that I have had to this story for a long time.

Recently, I have found myself feeling sympathy for Icarus.  He was flying, for the first and possibly only time in his life, and he got caught up in it. Is that really stupidity? Or is it just an understandable moment of euphoria? Is allowing yourself to get caught up in something that terrible?

My answers have become a much softer yes, yes, and not really respectively. Trying something because you get caught up in it is not the unforgivable sin that I've held it to be. 

Forgiveness is defined as "intentional and voluntary". I guess it is time to forgive Icarus for his recklessness.

Mostly relevant literary quote: Sergei Lukyanenko's Twilight Watch

“We weren’t meant to fly. All we can do is try not to fall.”

Slightly relevant song lyric: Nero - Promises

“You got me so wild,

How can I ever deny,

You got me so high,

So high I cannot feel the fire.

And you keep telling me,

Telling me that you'll be sweet,

And you'll never want to leave my side,

As long as I don't break these...

Promises, and they still feel all so wasted on myself .”