We began the day with a thought experiment - if I gave you an envelope with your name on it, and told you it contained an exact description of what your life will be like ten years from now, would you open it? What would you do? How would the contents of the letter shape your actions?
We continued that with a short discussion about making predictions and the people who do that each day, from meteorologists to doctors to economists to sports analysts to college admissions officers (!). Then we discussed the question of how much control we have over our lives, and the other forces that might, from other people to God to chance to fate.
Lots to talk about early in the morning!
When we turned our attention to the play we saw how these questions appear for both Jocasta and Oedipus, both of whom were told predictions about the future and both of whom took actions to avoid them coming true: Jocasta tossed her newborn child onto the trackless mountain, Odeipus left Corinth to avoid killing his father. Good plan? Good effort? We'll see...
