By Major General (Ret.) K. H. Constantinidis
Terror and fear rule our age,
our lives have become defenceless;
our very existence is threatened from every side,
and an enemy lurks around every corner.
Never, in my long life,
have I seen a world so frightened,
so violent, so divided,
so burdened and troubled by its needs,
searching with a lantern in the darkness,
in an age when AI shines so brightly.
And all this in strange times,
when Education is slowly fading away,
yet Science climbs ever higher
and, like a new Prometheus,
brings the fire of heaven down to Earth,
But does not elevate humanity.
Nuclear fusion, superintelligence,
machines that think,
minds that multiply,
while humanity struggles to make sense
of the future approaching,
with both wonder and fear.
What will we do with all these things?
We fear El Niño,
lest it become the executioner of the Earth;
we fear rising prices,
energy costs, insecurity,
the unknown that lies ahead,
and no one knows what it will bring.
We fear dwindling food supplies,
rising prices,
wars growing ever more frequent;
new ones begin,
while old ones never end,
and the fear of nuclear war closes in around us.
We fear society’s turmoil,
crime advancing with ferocity,
outpacing even technology.
We fear ideological obsession,
the weakness of politicians,
injustice, corruption,
arrogant power,
irrationality and inhumanity.
We fear quacks of every kind,
false sages and cunning impostors,
who hand out diplomas
as though they were confetti,
dressing ignorance
in scientific garb,
self-proclaimed experts in death.
And the United Nations stands aloof,
outside the powerful men’s private clubs,
while the titans of AI,
like hungry predators,
seek power and wealth
before reaching for the stars.
And humanity, bewildered,
runs right and left,
some towards the West, others towards the East,
divided and panicked,
like ants that have lost
their nest in the rain.
They wander, they search,
they jostle, they quarrel,
they know not where they are going,
nor which road to choose.
Standing at the crossroads,
with a precipice ahead and a raging torrent behind.
The very road they travel frightens them,
while consumerism
has brought them to the end of the line.
The world must change.
And there, within the realm of myth,
Phaethon appears upon his chariot.
He races towards the Sun,
the horses running wild,
the young charioteer full of pride,
the reins slipping from his hands.
As he draws nearer to the Sun,
he knows not where to draw the line.
And when power exceeds
the limits of humankind,
Hubris and Ate strike like thunderbolts.
Zeus strikes the chariot,
and Phaethon falls
into the river Eridanus.
Let the warmongers remember,
let the mighty remember:
when power knows no bounds,
it becomes a fire
that first consumes the very one
who wields it.
Yet inaction, too, is harmful.
But no!
The world cannot turn back.
Science moves forward.
Technology gallops ahead.
And humanity need not fear knowledge;
with sound reason, it can master it.
If the many govern AI,
if democracy holds the reins,
if knowledge guides the course of life
rather than serving the power of the few,
if safeguards are put in place,
if independent oversight is ensured,
if every new machine is tested
before it is placed in our hands,
if common rules are established
and international red lines drawn,
if humanity shows prudence,
responsibility and courage,
then perhaps the machine
will become a friend, not a foe,
knowledge will shine with Apollonian light,
and humanity will become godlike,
but never a god.
Time alone will tell.
For if power
falls into the hands of a reckless few,
if technology becomes a weapon
in the hands of the deranged,
then Phaethon
will fall from the heavens once more,
and this time,
our Earth will perish with him.
That is why, now,
in this hour of immense responsibility,
humanity must change,
yet always remain free.
So that it does not end up on Procrustes’ bed,
mutilated before it perishes,
it must rediscover its values,
remembering that power without wisdom
is calamity and self-destruction.
And perhaps then
Hellenism may once again become a beacon,
not with swords and hammers,
but like Prometheus,
who brought us fire:
through Democracy,
Dialogue,
Science,
Cooperation,
Measure,
and Philosophy.
Thus may Artificial Intelligence
become a servant of life,
not the master of humankind.
May knowledge become power,
power become responsibility,
technology become creation,
and creation become hope.
And may Apollo
grant us enlightenment.
For the Earth.
For life.
For those who came before us,
for those who live today,
and for those who will follow us.
And may today’s frightened world
become joyful and fulfilled,
and stride forward
with greater courage,
keeping the flame and
THE FRIGHTENED WORLD
By Major General (Ret.) K. H. Constantinidis
Terror and fear rule our age,
our lives have become defenceless;
our very existence is threatened from every side,
and an enemy lurks around every corner.
Never, in my long life,
have I seen a world so frightened,
so violent, so divided,
so burdened and troubled by its needs,
searching with a lantern in the darkness,
in an age when AI shines so brightly.
And all this in strange times,
when Education is slowly fading away,
yet Science climbs ever higher
and, like a new Prometheus,
brings the fire of heaven down to Earth,
But does not elevate humanity.
Nuclear fusion, superintelligence,
machines that think,
minds that multiply,
while humanity struggles to make sense
of the future approaching,
with both wonder and fear.
What will we do with all these things?
We fear El Niño,
lest it become the executioner of the Earth;
we fear rising prices,
energy costs, insecurity,
the unknown that lies ahead,
and no one knows what it will bring.
We fear dwindling food supplies,
rising prices,
wars growing ever more frequent;
new ones begin,
while old ones never end,
and the fear of nuclear war closes in around us.
We fear society’s turmoil,
crime advancing with ferocity,
outpacing even technology.
We fear ideological obsession,
the weakness of politicians,
injustice, corruption,
arrogant power,
irrationality and inhumanity.
We fear quacks of every kind,
false sages and cunning impostors,
who hand out diplomas
as though they were confetti,
dressing ignorance
in scientific garb,
self-proclaimed experts in death.
And the United Nations stands aloof,
outside the powerful men’s private clubs,
while the titans of AI,
like hungry predators,
seek power and wealth
before reaching for the stars.
And humanity, bewildered,
runs right and left,
some towards the West, others towards the East,
divided and panicked,
like ants that have lost
their nest in the rain.
They wander, they search,
they jostle, they quarrel,
they know not where they are going,
nor which road to choose.
Standing at the crossroads,
with a precipice ahead and a raging torrent behind.
The very road they travel frightens them,
while consumerism
has brought them to the end of the line.
The world must change.
And there, within the realm of myth,
Phaethon appears upon his chariot.
He races towards the Sun,
the horses running wild,
the young charioteer full of pride,
the reins slipping from his hands.
As he draws nearer to the Sun,
he knows not where to draw the line.
And when power exceeds
the limits of humankind,
Hubris and Ate strike like thunderbolts.
Zeus strikes the chariot,
and Phaethon falls
into the river Eridanus.
Let the warmongers remember,
let the mighty remember:
when power knows no bounds,
it becomes a fire
that first consumes the very one
who wields it.
Yet inaction, too, is harmful.
But no!
The world cannot turn back.
Science moves forward.
Technology gallops ahead.
And humanity need not fear knowledge;
with sound reason, it can master it.
If the many govern AI,
if democracy holds the reins,
if knowledge guides the course of life
rather than serving the power of the few,
if safeguards are put in place,
if independent oversight is ensured,
if every new machine is tested
before it is placed in our hands,
if common rules are established
and international red lines drawn,
if humanity shows prudence,
responsibility and courage,
then perhaps the machine
will become a friend, not a foe,
knowledge will shine with Apollonian light,
and humanity will become godlike,
but never a god.
Time alone will tell.
For if power
falls into the hands of a reckless few,
if technology becomes a weapon
in the hands of the deranged,
then Phaethon
will fall from the heavens once more,
and this time,
our Earth will perish with him.
That is why, now,
in this hour of immense responsibility,
humanity must change,
yet always remain free.
So that it does not end up on Procrustes’ bed,
mutilated before it perishes,
it must rediscover its values,
remembering that power without wisdom
is calamity and self-destruction.
And perhaps then
Hellenism may once again become a beacon,
not with swords and hammers,
but like Prometheus,
who brought us fire:
through Democracy,
Dialogue,
Science,
Cooperation,
Measure,
and Philosophy.
Thus may Artificial Intelligence
become a servant of life,
not the master of humankind.
May knowledge become power,
power become responsibility,
technology become creation,
and creation become hope.
And may Apollo
grant us enlightenment.
For the Earth.
For life.
For those who came before us,
for those who live today,
and for those who will follow us.
And may today’s frightened world
become joyful and fulfilled,
and stride forward
with greater courage,
keeping the flame and Courage of Prometheus alight.
Let us never allow it
to be extinguished again.
(8 October 2026)
Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Constantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Literary Writers
Amphiktyon Blog:
http://www.amphiktyon.blogspot.com
Amphiktyon Official Website:
http://www.amphiktyon.org
of Prometheus alight.
Let us never allow it
to be extinguished again.
(8 October 2026)
Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Constantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Literary Writers
Amphiktyon Blog:
http://www.amphiktyon.blogspot.com
Amphiktyon Official Website:
http://www.amphiktyon.org
