1. Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus
2. Prometheus Unbound by Percy Shelley
3. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
4. "We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do." – Mahatma Ghandi
5. My Trip to the Land of Ghandi by Martin Luther King Jr.
6. The Times They Are A Changin by Bob Dylan
7. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
8. Cloud Atlas directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer
The Prometheus Papers were an influential collection of writings, the first of which appeared on January 4, 2020. The origins of the writings are unclear. They were dated a century into the future, describing cultural practices and key historical developments before they happened. They were signed by the name Prometheus.
At first The Papers were received as science fiction. They foretold a barely imaginable world at the time. Everyone would be housed, fed, educated, and well cared for. There would be no deadly conflicts. The environment would be protected. The stresses common in the 21st century had melted away and life was quite enjoyable. Only a century into the future the world was one where people had learned to fully embrace their shared humanity, but it did not happen by accident or violence.
Prometheus gifted fire and hope to ancient humanity at great personal cost. Prometheus would be indefinitely bound and tortured by Zeus as punishment for this so-called transgression. From fire and hope sprung civilization, but fire is capable of both creation and destruction, and hope without action does nothing. Prometheus anticipated there was a risk humanity would burn themselves out with his gifts, whether it was a slow and steady process or a fast and violent one. Possessing fire and hope was one thing. True mastery was another.
Foreseeing his oppression, Prometheus made a secret plan. He hid a powerful piece of himself in his gifts that would manifest when combined: the insatiable appetite for a better world. Hope would flame into courage. Courage would flame into action. Actions would be the method of refinement leading to salvation. From one generation to the next humanity passed art, knowledge, and wisdom along like the passing of a torch. The accumulation of great works and technology inspired divine wisdom: humanity has the capacity to choose their own destiny.
Humanity had long been able to summon courage from the stories of previous generations and from others in the present. At last, they would master summoning courage from the stories of future generations. It would take all this courage to choose a peaceful future.
Some who read The Papers dismissed them as impossible fantasies, cynically giving up the crucial gift of hope. The Blue Shirts who could read deeper into the text saw the path toward true freedom and happiness. They saw Prometheus in themselves and those around them. They believed a better world was within reach. Whenever one of The Blue Shirts was asked if they were Prometheus, they would respond:
I could be, and so I am.