My fascination with mythology, particularly the Greco-Roman variety, has been a constant throughout my life. I recall enrolling in a mythology class during high school and, later, furthering my interest at university. At the time, these courses seemed more like a delightful dalliance with my hobbies than a foundation for serious academic pursuits. However, as time has passed, the richness of mythology has proven to be an unexpectedly valuable asset in my life.
The spark for this realization was reignited by my wife’s ambitious endeavor to delve into the depths of Western classical literature and, more broadly, the liberal arts. She embarked on this intellectual journey by revisiting seminal works such as Homer’s “Odyssey” and “Iliad,” along with Virgil’s “Aeneid.” These epic tales are steeped in the mythological traditions of ancient Greece and Rome, and my wife frequently found herself seeking clarity on the myriad references to gods and goddesses woven throughout these narratives. Fortunately, thanks to my educational background in mythology, I was able to shed light on her questions or at least guide her toward the answers.
This experience has underscored a profound lesson for both of us: there is no such thing as useless knowledge. Even if the immediate application of certain information seems trivial, serving merely as a conversational reference or a tidbit of trivia, its value extends beyond the superficial. We’ve reflected on how often we’ve heard the lament that specific fields of study, such as mathematics, are useless. Critics argue that mastering calculus or geometry is a futile endeavor doomed to irrelevance in everyday life. Yet, this perspective overlooks a fundamental truth – unused knowledge remains dormant not because it lacks utility but because the absence of understanding precludes its application.