The Sea People and the Fallow

Though it seems unbelievable, there once was a massive army of invaders known only as the Sea People that wreaked havoc on Mediterranean civilization. Historians know very little about them other than the fact that they were sea faring, warlike and rather primitive. Their modern name comes from what the Egyptians called the mysterious force. Historians do not know where they came from, where they went, the name of their ethnicity or what language they spoke. They invaded the Greek islands, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt around 1200 BC and perhaps wiped out the Hittite, Mycenaean and Mittani civilizations. Unlike typical invaders, the Sea People took no advantage of the technology, language or culture of the cities they conquered. They burned the cities to the ground and either left or replaced the cities with villages that were less advanced. The Egyptians repelled their force, but the Greek civilizations were not as lucky. The destruction caused what is referred to as the Greek Dark Ages (1200 BC – 800 BC).

Often when human beings hit a “funk” in life, they can trace it back to a cause. Sometimes someone gets dumped or they lose their job. Perhaps tragedy strikes like a family member dying. Or it could be as simple as day-light-savings time ending or a holiday approaching. In a world where everyone believes Newton’s third law, humans believe their lives are also dependent on cause and effect.

Now to rise from life’s nadirs, the human also believe they must overcome the problem that sent him down. For instance, Maverick felt that he was not fitting it with his squad, had issues about the truth of his father’s death and was mourning the loss of Goose. These issues negatively affected his life in the form of decreasing his ability to fly and his relationship with Kelly McGillis. Maverick overcame this lull by finding out his father was a good pilot after all, finding a new wingman and making friends with Ice Man. Poof, his ability to fly and love returned.

Yet, suppose much of the time or even most of the time there is no cause for slumps. What is there then to overcome?

Just as the Sea People and the Greek Dark Ages are a mystery, so are often our moods and abilities. Sometimes people feel down. Sometimes baseball players bat poorly. Sometimes blogs go unwritten for a month.

But, thankfully, also without cause, renaissances occur.