Prometheus Unbound
By Jeff Katzman
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About this ebook
Prometheus Unbound is the second book in a trilogy -- Prometheus Bound, Prometheus Unbound, and Prometheus Triumphs. The trilogy explores man's battle with the forces beyond his control (Prometheus Bound) using the forces within his control (Prometheus Unbound) to triumph over the human condition by triumphing over himself (Prometheus Triumphs).
Prometheus Unbound proves invaluable for those who want to undergo a meaningful and lasting transformation in themselves -- college undergraduates, people in recovery, or for anyone else seeking guidance. This book is for those who want to unlock and unleash the hero within.
Prometheus Unbound explores the timeless elements of the human condition that we command as we all play the power game in our lives.
Jeff Katzman
Jeff Katzman is the founder of Prometheus Enterprises and has been working on The Prometheus Project for over 25 years. Jeff has been a writer, a public speaker, a professor, a Vice President of Operations, and an economist. His motto is read classics and travel. Jeff wrote the companion volumes The Power Game Volume I and The Power Game Volume II. He is also the author of the companion volumes Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound, Parts I and II of The Prometheus Trilogy. He is currently working on Part III of The Prometheus Trilogy -- Prometheus Triumphs.
Read more from Jeff Katzman
1001 Reasons to Stay Alive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power Game Volume II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrometheus Bound Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Power Game Volume I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Prometheus Unbound - Jeff Katzman
Prometheus Unbound
Copyright 2014 Jeff Katzman
Published by Jeff Katzman at Smashwords
Version 2.1
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Dedication
To the Reader
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Art of Living
Chapter 2: Death
Chapter 3: Being
Chapter 4: Eternity
Chapter 5: Enlightenment
Chapter 6: Economy
Chapter 7: Power
Chapter 8: Discovery
Chapter 9: Individual
Chapter 10: The Power Game
About the author
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the six most influential people in my life:
To Mom, goddess of inspiration.
To Dad, god of reasoning.
To Dr. Bellon, god of encouragement.
To Courtney, goddess of beauty.
To Nicki, goddess of love.
To Jill, goddess of wisdom.
To the Reader
For humanity, life is a game -- a power game. Prometheus Bound aims to come as close as possible to hitting the nail of reality on the head by exploring the timeless elements of the human condition from the perspective of society toward the individual.
Prometheus Bound represents the executive summary of my entire research and education -- it is Part I of the two books that I wished I had had when I was making the transition into adulthood at the beginning of my college years. Since it is impossible for my title to help me in this way (since it didn't exist during my formative period years ago), it is my hope that Prometheus Bound will serve to guide you in your formative years and beyond. This book explains the forces beyond our control that have a major impact on our lives.
Prometheus Bound is especially for college undergraduates who are focused on one particular subject in either the humanities or social sciences who want to form a clearer picture of the other disciplines and how they interact with one another. This book is also for anyone else who wants to have a better model and understanding of the world going on around them as we all play the power game in our own lives.
Prometheus Unbound is Part II of the books that I wished I had had when I was making the transition into adulthood at the beginning of my college years. Prometheus Unbound explores the timeless elements of the human condition from the perspective of the individual toward society. This book explains the forces within our control that have a major impact on our lives. This authoritative book illuminates why we employ the strategies we do as we all play the power game of our lives.
Prometheus Unbound proves invaluable for those who want to undergo a meaningful and lasting transformation in themselves -- college undergraduates, people in recovery, or for anyone else seeking guidance who wants to convert from being human to acting like a human being.
Prometheus Unbound is for those who desire to form a clearer picture of themselves and to enrich the quality of their lives. This book is also for anyone else who wants to have a better model and understanding of the world going on inside of them as we all play the power game in our own lives.
Acknowledgements
Most of all I would like to acknowledge Prometheus -- the Greek titan, god, and muse who represents the treasure trove of all past human achievement. When we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, we stand on the shoulders of Prometheus.
As a species, humanity still would not be all that interesting if each generation were only passing on its limited experience to the next verbally. We only became interesting when we switched from conversing amongst ourselves to conversing with the ancients. The best of these conversations are the ones in which the wisest men and women who ever lived followed the great chain of being and wrote collections of the best ideas of all time.
I too have followed this great chain of being starting with Homer and following it to the present. In particular, I would like to thank Nietzsche, Thoreau, Hesse, and Emerson for being the best guides in my life and providing me with the wisest ideas on the timeless elements of the human condition.
Cover photograph: Caspar David Friedrich's The Wanderer Over the Sea of Fog,
1818. This painting is currently housed in the Kunsthalle art museum in Hamburg, Germany.
Introduction
Come sit with me
By the sea.
Feel the ebb and flow
Of eternity.
Bask in the glow of Apollo.
Let his warmth inspire,
Fan your flames,
And set your soul on fire!
A silhouetted seagull spirals
Round the sky, a solitary flyer.
Follow it in flight,
And soar ever higher!
Listen to the voice within;
Defy your defiers.
Chase your dreams;
Fulfill your desires!
Become who you are;
Set yourself free.
Immortalized in language,
you'll live infinitely!
Come sit with me
By the sea,
Where waves whisper your name
For eternity.
Introduction to the Trilogy
This book is a love poem to life and a giving thanks to being alive. It is also the one book that would have made my life much easier and my understanding of the world much richer had I absorbed everything herein in my youth. My hope is that this trilogy will guide you on your journey through life.
The Prometheus myth inspired me to write this book. Prometheus was the ultimate rebel -- an ingenious and impious titan who accomplished many daring deeds to grant gifts to his favorite creations -- human beings. Prometheus's most famous accomplishment was stealing fire from the gods and gifting it to humanity. Zeus was so angered by Prometheus's revolt that he ordered Prometheus to be chained to a mountain for eternity. However, wily and clever Prometheus outsmarted and overcame Zeus and freed himself, going on to become the savior of humanity.
Aeschylus, an ancient Greek poet and playwright, wrote a version of the myth that took the form of a trilogy of plays -- Prometheus Bound, Prometheus Unbound, and Prometheus Triumphs. Only Prometheus Bound remains with us -- for time has destroyed the two final volumes. In honor of Aeschylus, my version completes the trilogy while offering a fresh interpretation of the Promethean myth.
Just as the Olympian gods' triumph over the titans represents the triumph of the clever over the strong, the triumph of Prometheus over Zeus represents man's ability to triumph over the forces of nature and life as he redeems himself. The moral of the myth is that we must learn to embrace and to love our fate since fate has supreme and eternal power over us.
Prometheus suffered in secret seclusion to see to humanity's success -- making us out of clay, giving us fire, wisdom, knowledge, language, mathematics, art, technology, domesticated animals, medicine, and the Promethean shield. This shield is the veil of life -- it obscures death and offers blind hope to us all.
As a young adult I had an accident, cracking my skull and shattering my Promethean shield. From that day forward, the most defining moment of my life has been my near death. The negative results of my head injury remind me daily of my own mortality. At the same time, I was extremely fortunate that my head injury was a temporary setback from which I recovered long ago. Prometheus granted me a second chance at life. Since that fateful day, every day has been holy -- an opportunity for me to master the art of living and myself.
This trilogy calls for a revolution -- not against the ruling class, or the powers that be, or against any other authority. This revolutionist's handbook calls for a revolutionary transformation in yourself and in the way you view the world. It explores man's battle against the forces beyond his control (Prometheus Bound) using the forces within his control (Prometheus Unbound) to triumph over the human condition by triumphing over himself (Prometheus Triumphs).
As you read Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound, picture an eagle soaring high in the sky. The eagle starts circling thousands of feet above the earth and slowly spirals down. The eagle starts in Prometheus Bound, hovering in the lofty realm of nature; then it spirals down through life; then through man's ancestry; then through humanity; then through the estates of the church, the economy, the state, the academy, and the family. Finally, the eagle hones in on you and explores your deepest depths in Prometheus Unbound. May you too fare well on your journey through life as you master the art of living and yourself.
Love,
Jeff
Introduction to Prometheus Unbound
Prometheus was chained high in the dark recesses of the Caucasus mountains when we were last with him. Here he was to remain imprisoned for eternity. Eons passed until it finally dawned on him that he and only he had the power to free himself. On the day after his epiphany, he patiently awaited the arrival of the vulture that gnaws at his liver. Just as the vulture arrived, he tore himself loose from his chains, tossed them over his shoulder, leapt down from the mountain, and slayed the vulture with his bare hands.
Released from the prison of his past, Prometheus rekindled his creative fire and began showing human beings -- his favorite creatures -- how to get the maximum power and joy out of their lives. Prometheus -- the Great Liberator -- established new codes that teach the way to overcoming, to creating, and to forging a masterpiece out of your life here and now.
Prometheus Bound taught us that there are forces beyond our control that impact who we are, and that none of these forces cares about us. The vast majority of the events in our lives are those that happen to us. Our demise is of no consequence to nature, life, or humanity -- for our lives will have little to no impact on those around us or our progeny.
Humanity is not going anywhere in particular. We are locked in orbit just as the earth is around the sun. Besides endlessly cycling around the same circle perpetuating the human race, we as a species have