LETTER: The world's first woman, according to Greek mythology, was created by the gods. She was called Pandora, meaning 'all-gifted', after being taught and endowed with wisdom, talents, and skills by the Olympian gods.
That was a time when the world was perfect, free from all evils. Before sending her away, Zeus – the king of the Greek gods – handed Pandora a sealed jar, telling her not to open it.
That obviously piqued Pandora's curiousity over what's inside. Pandora's jar became our modern day phrase "pandora's box" which means something that creates a lot of complicated and unexpected problems.
After receiving her box, Pandora was sent away to be married. Married life couldn't quell her burning curiosity over the box.
So, one night Pandora finally unsealed the box and to her horror, evil creatures were unleashed from the container into the world.
The creatures were Pandemic, Rivalry, Betrayal, Fake News, War, and Death. They flew out and have since wrecking havoc in what was once a paradise.
Realising her mistake, Pandora quickly closed the box, not knowing that the last creature left inside that didn't manage to escape was 'Hope'.
As Stephen Fry explained in his book 'Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold', there are several interpretations over 'Hope' that's forever sealed inside Pandora's box.
Some say that 'Hope' is the expectation of the worst that paralyses humans' ability for optimism.
Some say that the last creature is actually the worst of all evils because it gives humankind the false promise of something good to come in a world without hope. Others say that the sealing of 'Hope' symbolises the hopelessness of our predicament.
Whichever that is, there's certainly a lot of questioning among us over what is 'Hope', after all that have happened in the past one week, the seemingly unending daily infection, the political crisis followed by the appointment of the ninth Prime Minister, and our country's uncertain future.
Whatever our conclusion is, 'Hope' will always be what we cast into the sealed box - the ballot box. So, don't lose hope.
JOSHUA
Penang