Thessaly’s Got Talent. But it was the Singer of singers, Calliope, who won the day over the locals. Unfortunately for the losing singers, the daughters of King Pierus, defeat by a Muse came with a price. They were turned into Magpies. Or, so goes the myth. You don’t mess with the head Muse.
You’d think being turned into a colorful “crow” would be all bad news. But it seems that Calliope chose to turn the ladies into birds with intelligence and skills that offset their less than perfect singing voices. Magpies not only use tools, work socially to hunt and protect, and express apparent empathy, but they also recognize themselves in a mirror. So, Pierus’ daughters must have kept their sense of identity.
Is that fortunate or unfortunate? Let’s review. The girls lost the singing contest and, as a consequence, their human form. They retained their self-awareness and their ability to socialize for their own and for others’ good.
It happens to all of us eventually and to some sooner than to others: In a physical sense we become less—or different—from what we were. We lose something of our previous human appearance. We age. We lose athletic prowess, strength, some muscle tone, and maybe a tooth or two. Our voices change. Through accident or disease we might lose part or all of an organ. We might lose a limb. Although we might try out for Thessaly’s Got Talent, we know we have only a small window of time to win the contest. And even if we make the contest, winning isn’t assured, particularly if the competition includes the best singer in the universe, a Calliope.
But if we retain our self-awareness, we are fortunate, even in times of disappointment. Note by comparison those who suffer from mental disorders that rob them of the capacity for self-identification. Yes, even in good health as your voice changes, you might eventually turn into a squawking version of your former self, but if you can still tell that even with the changes it’s you that you see in a mirror, you have an enduring identity that no physical change can alter.
You’d think being turned into a colorful “crow” would be all bad news. But it seems that Calliope chose to turn the ladies into birds with intelligence and skills that offset their less than perfect singing voices. Magpies not only use tools, work socially to hunt and protect, and express apparent empathy, but they also recognize themselves in a mirror. So, Pierus’ daughters must have kept their sense of identity.
Is that fortunate or unfortunate? Let’s review. The girls lost the singing contest and, as a consequence, their human form. They retained their self-awareness and their ability to socialize for their own and for others’ good.
It happens to all of us eventually and to some sooner than to others: In a physical sense we become less—or different—from what we were. We lose something of our previous human appearance. We age. We lose athletic prowess, strength, some muscle tone, and maybe a tooth or two. Our voices change. Through accident or disease we might lose part or all of an organ. We might lose a limb. Although we might try out for Thessaly’s Got Talent, we know we have only a small window of time to win the contest. And even if we make the contest, winning isn’t assured, particularly if the competition includes the best singer in the universe, a Calliope.
But if we retain our self-awareness, we are fortunate, even in times of disappointment. Note by comparison those who suffer from mental disorders that rob them of the capacity for self-identification. Yes, even in good health as your voice changes, you might eventually turn into a squawking version of your former self, but if you can still tell that even with the changes it’s you that you see in a mirror, you have an enduring identity that no physical change can alter.
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