ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-epZpxFIxL8I.html His definition is wrong. People can't just change definitions because they don't like them. Lotus eater is about getting to a place where you enjoy yourself so much that while the world around you is in chaos you don't really care about anything except yourself and your own happiness to the point of eventually even forgetting who you are and where you came from. Like a drug of happiness. Like Soma. Read the freaking book instead of idolizing anything this man says, is all there. Even the excerpt he used in this video is completely misinterpreted.
Yes. You have only had 2,700 years to read the Odyssey for yourself. Shame on him for spoiling it! Next week, he plans to let it slip that there is a flood story in Gilgamesh.
TBH, it sounds more like a blue pill to me. Take the lotus, and the story ends. You wake up happy every day on the island and believe whatever you want. Or foreswear the lotus; stay with Odysseus and see how deep the Mediterranean goes, facing perils that will probably kill you, but in which you may find honor.
I love all of these discussions. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and insights. I am native Californian and love to learn more by listening to others point of view regarding world political and social issues❤
The episode of the lotus eaters in the Odyssey was an illustration of distraction vs action. Are you comfortable escaping down a rabbit whole with no end in itself or would you take risks to achieve your dreams. Staying among the lotus eaters was to guarantee a slow death with no hope for actualization. Continuing on the journey was dangerous, but for Odysseus who persevered, he achieved the restoration of his kingdom, justice for his family, and self knowledge.
Popular culture was introduced to the mythical Lotus Eaters by the Percy Jackson film franchise. There's a casino in Las Vegas in which people while away infinite time and forget the outside world while eating the intoxicating lotus flowers. The flowers make their eaters immortal, but also take away their sense of self and their agency. "I can stop any time I want," but they don't want to, they're content to stay in this unreal place forever, never sad or uncomfortable, but never superlatively happy either.
I’m gonna have to be that guy, the book did it first and better. Although I do love the Lotus Casino scene from the movie, please nobody just watch the movies, the books are excellent.
@@ottovonbearsmark8876 I'm going to have to read the books, but I won't get around to it until my son turns 8. I made the comment because I want Carl to know that he's not the first one to depict this name to recent popular culture. And everyone who hears his name will think of this and its symbolism instead of what he's building. "Sargon" had a different reception because there hasn't been a recent depiction of the character in popular culture, so Carl made it his own.
@@asailijhijr yeah I know, I thought the exact same thing when I heard the name, most people who actually know what the name means are not going to think of it as a positive thing.
Even a standard reading of the Odyssey paints the Lotus Eaters in a negative light. That he has to explain why they're actually a positive force in the ancient world proves that his interpretation is great for teaching critical reading but terrible for building a brand.
@@davidtauriainen9116 terrible for building a brand? Can you find anything as marketable with similarly low competition in search? I think it's a great name for building a brand.
@The Pigman No, but it makes you forget your obligation to false authority. I think Carl's reading of the Lotus Eaters was that Odysseus was out of line telling the men they had to come home with him.
I enjoyed your old format a lot and was critical of the rebrand at first but this turned out great and is even more enjoyable! You guys are excellent keep it up!
im in georgia, usa.. and i just discovered you a few days ago........... i'm addicted now lol .. you know more of what is going on here.. than most of americans.... msm is just showing what they want to .. know what is really going on .. keep up the good work :) thank you
I immediately had a memory of a Percy Jackson movie where there was a Las Vegas casino tied into the Lotus Eaters from the Odyssey. Don’t know why I hadn’t connected the two until now😂🤷🏼♂️
It is certainly a refreshing place, the imagery, the music, the commentary, the thoughts. I don't always agree with you, but in a world gone mad, I appreciate your logical approach and your high quality content, and what seems to me to be, on the whole, balanced views.
Nymphaea coerulea and Nelumbo nucifera are two edible species of lotus; the former being a known sedative and used by Egyptians as a food source and to make wine.
Damage control for poor branding - the video. No, the term "lotus eater" or "to eat lotus" was a well known antiquated insult for someone being absent minded, inattentive and only concerned with the luxuries of life. This reference is found in other writings of the time. This is why there is specific mention to how it makes Odys men "forgetful". "Lotus" is a euphemism for "opium", it has been linked to an opium poppy that grows in north Africa and the islands off the coast, which is where the island of the Lotus Eaters is said to be. It can also be a euphemism for a soporific, psychotropic concoction made from water lilies from the Nile. The entire point of the story was basically that not all enemies are overt enemies, some enemies are seductive. That is what the lotus eaters were. The seductive enemy that undermines your quest, not by force of arms but by giving you all the pleasures of the world, letting you forget your cares and your worries until you give up fighting. It is the exact opposite of "a place where weary travelers can let down their guard". It's a place that tempts weary travelers to let down their guard so that they fail their mission by choosing immediate selfish comfort over long term conflict that would benefit them and others. This is not some antiquated "red pill" reference, showing you what could be or shifting a paradigm , if anything it's antiquated "blue pill" reference. Life in ignorant bliss, forgetting your worries and weeping furiously when you are taken away from that comfort to a life of constant challenge and strife. Please stop attempting to mislead your audience on the topic of history and myth just because you didn't understand the audio book and went with branding that might as well be "The Mindless Coomer Podcast".
A lotus eater is someone who is happy with where they are in life. But , the name can also be made in irony or a warning for those who already have a goal or want more, such as Odyseuss and his men to return home.
I dunno.... the Lotus seems like the opposite of the red pill. The lotus is that which causes men to forsake home, family, friends, duty.... all of the things that give greater meaning to ones life.
This is, in fact, a very interesting interpretation of the lotus eaters as opposed to the view. From one person's perspective they look as though they were a cult of individuals who desired to only grow their numbers, but from their perspective they just wished to provide safe harbor and pleasures to visitors. They almost addictive way, in which, people seem to gravitate towards them is what sets people off, Odysseus who lives in a world of foul play, believes it to be foul play. When in fact, it could just be those who desire to help them.
yeah its important in eygptian religous practices. There is a huge amount of info on it being a potent psychedleic and thats why it was important to them. it grows on the banks of the nile.
I always interpreted the lotus eaters as the ancient world's version of the consume meme. Having not a care in the world except to consume more lotus leaves, or in our case, consume more mandalorian, Nintendo, and marvel.
Erm.. the flowers were highly addictive and anybody eating them would completely loose themselves, stop doing anything else, and just waste away. They became drug addicts. Not a good thing :(
This video would have been much better had you included a section about the painting the lotus eaters by Robert Duncanson which is in the video thumbnail
You know i am from a small peaceful island in the Mediterranean called Djerba, and we believe that Djerba was the land of the lotus eaters, the lotus was believed to be the flower of the now communly known as the "prickly pair" there are few species that can produce a flower that looks like the symbol of the lotus, Djerba in history was a safe haven for sailors with very peaceful people, it was not rich nor developed but it has very beautiful beaches and a heavenly landscape. I know that this is a legend but, why did the elderly natives of my island know of this legend and claim Djerba is the land of "Lotophage" which is latin for lotus eaters
The most terrible nine words you can ever hear: "Hi I'm The Government And I'm Here To Help" The most relieving nine words you can ever hear: "Hi I'm An Englishman And I'm Here To Help"
The name has grown on me a bit, no that's not quite right I would rather say I've gotten used to it. But how I feel is not the biggest part, I've been here since 2014 after all and would probably turn in no matter what the name was, but I still think the name will sound strange to a outsider/normies
The prophecy says that once the Overton window shifts rightwards, back to the centre that is, and it is seen appropriate to asociate with people like you, the Lotus Eaters shall partner up with Lotus Cars and the Lotus Bakery in an effort to bring about the order of the Lotus.
Saw a psychedelic program here on YT where they had volunteers try out different types of “psychedelics” and the Lotus flower was one of them. They Said it gave Them a mild high. Think it was blue lotus from egypt, brewed into tea.
The lotus is a variety of Provencal microcoulier with olive like fruits that have an intoxicating effect. Love your show. P.S. Not long before the main event. Stay safe.
FYI if anyone likes listening to mythology tales podcasts Try out Mythology by the par cast network, they’re free and available both on iOS, spotify and a few others I forget. But the tale of Odysseus is covered, also the origin of the Aztec sun god. etc and others they also dip their toes into the Greek pantheon. It’s great to listen to if your bored and need something to fill your day
While I generally agree and enjoy your content, I feel the name choice and reasoning behind it to be...specious. While it is true that since Odysseus is the only one to come back alive, it would be difficult to ascertain if his tales were credible. After all, his soldiers are always depicted as either bumbling idiots or willfully conspiratorial which begs the question of why take them to war at all? But despite that I think interesting that all of Odysseus' obstacles are the forces and causes of chaos in Odysseus' world. His singular focus to get back home isn't a coverup for government corruption or to prevent people from having a respite. Its because the theme of the epic is how to restore order and balance at home. The cyclops is symbolic of bad host-guest relationships. The unlawful slaughter and eating of Helios' cattle the disdain for private property and the sacred. The lotus eaters, far from being benign intellectual enthusiasts, were the loafers and hedonists whose pursuits deny the urgency of important matters. As another commenter noted, the "White Rose Society" would have been a better name choice as a group offering an alternative message from the "official sources."
So Odysseus was the villain of the story of some sort. The island of the Lotus Eaters was simply a sign off what path the crew would go on when they left the island.
Cool backstory, and I like the underlying meaning. But dropping the infamous moniker Sargon of Akkad, with all its name recognition, was a mistake for your brand. Perhaps “Podcast of the Lotus Eaters ft. Sargon of Akkad” would be a good compromise?
Not to disagree from this definition (to use the term of my childhood, "I can dig it" ) but from my point of view, the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey, are similar to the Nanny State. Those that want "Safety" for our own good instead of having the freedom to chose what to do with our own bodies and minds (I include Censorship on both sides. An example of Censorship on the Right would be Christians wanting to burn Music Albums or copies of Harry Potter because it's "Satanic" ).We *need* danger and risk in order to develop our minds, bodies and souls. If we live in comfort and safety always...nothing is harmed or destroyed sure...but nothing is created...it's eternal Stagnation.
