Loki. In Norse myth this guy is considered to be both hero and villain. He is presumed to be a god initially who helps other gods on various points and save their asses but slowly and gradually his giant side siege control and causes trouble for them. According to many scholars Loki tries to make his mark by doing a bit of mischief here and there but then he reaches a point where he couldn't control himself which eventually caused the death of Baldr (beautiful god of sunrise and sunshine). In the end, gods are so confused regarding him that they decide it’s too dangerous for him to roam free; thus he is bounded with a snake dripping venom on his face and it’s his discomfort that causes earthquakes. It is also said that on the day of Ragnarok he will break free from his bounds and make an army of giants to fight against gods and kick their asses too.
So was Loki bad? Did he deserve the punishment? OK, he was responsible for death of a god but he had also saved many on quite a few occasions. Was he really out of control? Did gods really need to diminish the status of Loki from a god to an evil giant?
Loki was known to be a shape-shifter. His most famous shape is that of a snake. It’s an irony that its snake venom that tortures him in the end though. He was a magician (A rarity in Norse myth), a smooth talker and a very good liar. While Loki is associated with fire he is most commonly known as god of mischief. In fact scholars to this day argue on the origin of the name Loki.
So again was Loki bad? I personally think Loki was just a bored god. He just wanted to have some fun and the problem with him was he just didn't know where to draw the line. Every time he did something, he would need to do something even bigger next time to keep his thrill intact. When to stop or how to channel those emotions he didn't know thus leading to the death of Bladr. Loki wasn’t bad bad, he was just looking for some fun. He was like a little kid wanting to harass gods just to see their reactions. According to me he is one of the most misunderstood gods. I mean people bow down and pray to Zeus (a god which killed his own father and son. Cheated with his own brothers and etc etc) but when it comes to Loki people can’t even decide of he should be treated as a god or as an evil giant.
So why am i rambling about a mythical Norse god? It’s not like I am a preacher. Well the reason is while most people would like to associate themselves with Zeus or Heracles or Achilles maybe even Ajax or Odysseus or Poseidon, I like to associate myself with Loki.
Yes, i see more of myself in god of mischief. A known liar and trouble-maker. I can see or rather understand why he would make the decisions that he did. In fact I would go to the length of saying in his positions I would have made those choices too. Who wants a boring dull life? Where you wake up every day, do your daily chores, be a Mr. two legged goodie-goo and the sleep peacefully. Where is the fun in that? On the other hand if you are mischievous, you make errors you interfere in the happenings of the world; you keep yourself engrossed. You are always on the edge never bored or idle. Your mind is always sharp, meeting and conversing with people becomes all the more interesting. If you really eve try to influence a person and then see it actually happening the sense of power it gives you is over-whelming. It’s more intoxicating than any drug in this world. Trust me when i say this.
I have realized my polite social small talk has the life span of 2 minutes. For 2 minutes I can smile and ask all the questions in whose answers I am least interested in. 2 minutes and then the awkward silence of "what's next?" creeps in. Whereas when I am discussing work I can talk for hours. Hours non-stop. It maybe coz it gives me something to talk about rather than making small talks but I think its coz when I talk about work I always on some level am trying to influence the listener; thus I don’t quit until I have succeed.
Also one of the reason for me connecting with Loki is I don’t see this world in black or white. I would say grey but truly speaking I see no colors. Every action for me has become just that, an action, nothing more and nothing else. While people judge actions I just analyze them. I see if they have caused more harm than good but i still don’t condemn them. I can accept anything good or bad as it comes as long as it isn't affecting me. I heard this quote sometime back somewhere that
"There is always a reason behind everything bad that happens now. Now every psycho has a disease unlike good old times when they were just bad people. World had just good and bad people not these diseased ones."
This quote is basically made for people like me. People who can’t make conclusions based on simple given facts. People who always assume there is something more and thus hold their judgments. Still what if I say I agree with this quote. Good old times were better. A plain concept of black and white. It seems so relaxing to imagine such an easy world. But doesn't saying this contradict with everything i have said till now. Maybe it’s one of the reason i connect with Loki so much. I can’t seem to predict my own decision let alone let the world do that. Same happened with Loki and it was the inability of the gods to understand and predict him that made them hate him so much.
But isn't it more fun to be my way. When you know what is going to happen around you yet you never know what it is that you are going to do. When you have power to change your world at your will. The change is for good or for bad is another story altogether. You might argue you can do this even if you see colors, even if you connect with people, even if you have emotions. And i will say no, No you can’t. The reason? Well coz it clouds your judgments. If you like/dislike someone your actions for him or against him are bound to be affected by your emotions.
But not everyone has to be Loki or me. People should know when to draw the line. when not to have fun. They should know when simple pranks becomes sins. A time has to come when people need to come out of grey and see black and white.
I? I am past that. i prefer the grey. Makes me feel more enlightened than rest of the mortals. while they debate on whether a thing is good or bad i look at them, smile at their stupidity and think what i can do to make it work in my way.
Bloody mortals. No wonder they never really understood ways of Loki.
