Finding Atlantis

Ever since Plato’s Critias over two and a half thousand years ago, with its description of an ideal society called Atlantis, people from all walks of life, and various disciplines, have searched for the fabled lost city. While the physical hunt has fuelled the media frenzy for the last two hundred years it is really just a side show, Atlantis’s real treasure lies in metaphysics, in the lessons it has for us. The clue that the Atlantis story is allegorical is in its source. Plato tells us that he got the tale from an Egyptian High Priest by the name of Solon; the Egyptian Mystery School he represented was one of the repositories of the world’s metaphysical knowledge, the stories he would have shared would reflect this.

The basic story, one I’m sure most of us know, is of a Shangri-la gone bad, destroyed by its own technology and lack of moral compass. Sound familiar? "...when the divine portion began to fade away, and became diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture, and the human nature got the upper hand, they then, being unable to bear their fortune, behaved unseemly, and to him who had an eye to see grew visibly debased, for they were losing the fairest of their precious gifts; but to those who had no eye to see the true happiness, they appeared glorious and blessed at the very time when they were full of avarice and unrighteous power."(Critias) In this much vaunted year of 2012 the lessons from our long lost antecedents have never been more pressing. We live on the cusp of greatness or destruction – we have never had such potential for both. Plato hit the nail on the head by saying that it was when things were the most debased that they appeared to those involved “the most glorious…” Like it or not that is just how many live their lives today, profit is more important than people, share holder dividends more a priority than sustainability. Most of us feel so pressured by the material nature of society and the life that we live, that much of our moral compass is ignored. We have forgotten who we are, and what we are an integral part of. This is not sustainable in the long term, as many in the “western” world are now finding out.

The lessons from antiquity are clear. Refocus on humanity and the common good – above all else, strive for eudemonia, harmony and balance, or pay the price. You have a choice.

Namaste

Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com