In Greek mythology Zeus withholds fire from mankind, only to
have it stolen by Prometheus who shares
this powerful source of energy with humanity.
Enraged, Zeus instructs other gods to create an enchanting woman, Pandora, who is offered to Prometheus’s
brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus implores
his brother to refuse Zeus’s gift, but is rebuffed, and Pandora becomes his
brother’s wife. As a wedding present,
Zeus gives Pandora a large Jar (often
characterized as a box) that, in ancient times was used to store grains, wines,
oils and other valuable items. Large
enough to hold a human body, the jar was also used to bury the dead. The jar was decorated and lovely to behold,
but the gift was given on one condition, that it not be opened. Pandora resisted the temptation to see what
was in the jar again and again, but eventually her curiosity compelled her to
open the jar, and she released the evils and maladies of the world that we know
today, among them, death, disease and discord.
The eternal truth of the Pandora myth is that humanity
continues to invent and discover new and powerful tools that can be used for
the benefit or destruction of humanity. Each new secret revealed, from fire, to metal,
to dynamite, from airplanes, to missiles and to nuclear energy will ultimately
be as much a part of our world as the natural wonders of earth, sky, water and
the animals and plants upon which our existence depends. We can no more withhold these new secrets
from one another than we can deny our fellow humans air, water or sustenance.
The reality is that nuclear power, whether for useful or
destructive ends, has been released from Pandora’s jar, and is now a part of
the world we inhabit. The only feasible
way forward is to share its benefits, and restrain its use as a weapon. But to do this, there must be a world order
in which nations can be held accountable for their management and use of
nuclear materials. This is the direction
offered by the nations negotiating with Iran; nations that represent the legacy
of victory over the axis powers of World War II (US, Great Brittan, Russia,
France, China). Unfortunately, these
very nations are themselves only marginally accountable for their stockpile of
weapons. The very structure and
governance of the United Nations, in which these five countries serve as permanent
members of the UN Security Council establishes the status quo of what constitutes
national prestige and power. Having
nuclear weapons is enshrined as the very epitome of this national prestige,
making it all the more likely that other nations will seek to acquire nuclear
weapons for themselves. Thus the list
continues to grow, now including India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. These nations are even less accountable, as
some have not signed the nuclear proliferation treaty, and others, such as
Israel, do not officially admit to even having nuclear weapons.
It is good policy to negotiate with Iran to allow them to
pursue the peaceful benefits of nuclear energy, and good policy to hold them
accountable for throttling the development of nuclear weapons. But until all nations agree to dismantle
their nuclear arms, and agree to prevent any nation from having the capability
to build them, there will always be the threat of their use, and a desire for
other nations to acquire this technology for themselves.
One of the contents of Pandora’s jar remained at the bottom,
it was not released in the world, but was available to it. That item was, and is, hope. Hope is needed for us to have the
opportunity to share the great abundance of earth’s resources that all of us
depend upon. Hope offers us the
opportunity to further our well-being and the well-being of our families, and
our descendents. It is hope and our
common humanity that will allow us to achieve a secure and abundant
future. This hope is not blind, but held
with a wary eye toward betrayal, with safeguards and a plan to intervene should
one nation decide to jeopardize the welfare of others. The “deal with Iran” is a step in the right
direction. But until other nations destroy
their stockpiles of nuclear weapons and agree to the same terms of peaceful use,
a lasting solution to the proliferation of nuclear weapons will elude us.
