Tridents

Trident:  The aphorism that one day “swords shall be beaten to plowshares” is reminiscent of the aspiration that one day all war, animosity, hostility, and strife will be replaced by peace, goodwill, and prosperity.  The reality is that swords were once plowshares, or famers’ sickles, or oxcart pins, or shepherd’s staffs that were converted to more malevolently-intended weapons.  Most non-modern weapons were originally designed with some other, more constructive purpose in mind than using it as a melee weapon.  But ultimately, as is the human predicament, conflict arose, even among the humble shepherds and famers, and what was once used to harvest grain or guide a straying sheep seemed like just the right instrument to strike down an enemy.  Such was the case for the noble trident as well.  The pitchfork-like, three-pronged instrument traditionally associated with the water god, Poseidon, was originally used by Jewish priests to remove their share of the offerings of animal sacrifices from the fire for consumption.  It could be said that they wielded the longest fork in history.  Yet, somewhere along the way, either an angry priest, or perhaps some blacksmith or coppersmith who saw the pragmatism of the trident as a weapon, converted it to its more destructive association as a melee weapon.  The three-pronged instrument meant for holy purposes, and perhaps even designed in some subtle, yet subversive way to convey the essence of the trinity, (three-in-one) had now become an ignoble instrument of death.  Just as Cain, who likely did not strike his brother Abel with his fist but with some blunt object, be it his rock bowl from a mortar and pestle couplet or his shepherd’s staff – just as he converted an instrument designed to promote life, health and prosperity to an instrument of wickedness, we too have taken things meant to be used for good and used them for evil.  It does make one long for the day when swords will be beaten into the plowshares from whence they came.  I do not know what intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear warheads will be beaten into…perhaps we will launch them into space and have a fireworks display of cosmic proportions.