Korede Teriba
The creature, worn out by its five hundred years of existence, gathers branches and twigs for its nest – a funeral pyre and nest of rebirth. Though worn out, this creature looks magnificent with its beautiful feathers of gold and red.
As the sun rises, it stretches and begins singing, perhaps its funeral song, and bursts into flames as the sky’s lamp lifts, dispelling night. But it rises again – reborn. In Greco – Egyptian and other mythologies, few creatures, dazzle men, like the Phoenix. It rises from it’s ashes rebirthed, signalling rebirth and reinvention, starting another life cycle. Beyond mythology, the Phoenix’s rebirth tale has eternal lessons for humans as it’s significant and relevant. This article explores that significance and relevance.
The Phoenix is a metaphor for rebirth and renewal. It emerged across world cultures and civilizations, symbolizing immortality. It transcends death into eternity, beginning life anew. Its rebirth is a glowing torch of hope reminding us of dawn’s arrival after the darkest hour. We’ve reached a point in our lives when things are bleak and there’s no end to “eternal” trek in the dark tunnel – not even a ray of light. The Phoenix’s story reminds us that with resilience and iron – desire for victory, we can emerge victors. Viktor Frankl, Austrian Psychiatrist and holocaust survivor, through resilience, survived the Nazi holocaust, becoming a prominent Psychiatrist and authoring a seminal book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” on his experiences in the German gulag.
The Phoenix’s story reflects human experiences. It’s exemplified in stories of people who, through rebirth and reinvention, conquered. History is replete with individuals who rebirthed and reinvented themselves to dominate. Born into a poor family, suffered debilitating depression, failed at politics, Abraham Lincoln rose from ashes to become America’s sixteenth President. Other figures including; Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Steve Jobs, Buchi Emecheta, etc. exemplify the Phoenix spirit. Their rebirth and reinvention shows the Phoenix’s odyssey from ashes to heights. Their stories teach us never to allow backgrounds back us down.
Lessons from the Phoenix’s story isn’t limited to the individuals. Societies have confronted challenges, requiring transformation . Through transformation, challenged societies have created cultural, technological, and economic shifts. Israel became an independent nation in 1948. Under the David Ben Gurion’s pioneering leadership, Israel became powerful. The Phoenix’s spirit reminds us of collective work as panacea to societal cum national challenges.
However, rebirth isn’t without pains and obstacles which can hamper our growth, denying us of pivotal transformation. We must, as individuals and societies, confront these obstacles, attacking them with bull strength, embracing the pains and discomfort to transform us.
The Phoenix as eternal symbolism, teaches eternal truths about human spirit. It teaches and reminds that in raging storms of adversity and chaos, we can emerge victorious. Additionally, the Phoenix’s flight from ashes speaks to us in our struggles and navigating societal chaos. Through resilience, accepting challenges, failures, we can, like the Phoenix, rise from our ashes to heights at dawn.
