ABSTRACT
This chapter first examines Odysseus’ two crucial character traits of (i) polútropos (“many-turning”) and (ii) mêtis (cleverness and ingenuity). Then the chapter explains how our human species as a whole displays these same character traits. I explore how humanity can use these character traits to manage its own “homecoming”, or nostos, as Odysseus did in slowly making his way back to his kingdom on the island of Ithaka, where his wife Penelope had waited for twenty years despite growing pressure from the coarse and pushy suitors who had degraded Odysseus’ kingdom in his absence. In concluding the chapter with a question – whether Penelope will wait for us – I raise this issue: Do the natural systems and relationships of our own Earth have the resilience to withstand the attacks and injuries the planet has suffered at the hands of our own species, so that a new age of ecological restoration can start? My answer: “it depends”. Whether we as modern humans can write a homecoming story like that of the Odyssey, and thereby create a sustainable means of feeding ourselves without destroying the planet, depends on how quickly we can focus our character traits of polútropos and mêtis on the key ecological crises we face − namely the agricultural crisis and the climate crisis. It may also depend on how we can exhibit the character traits not just of Odysseus but also of Penelope; I close the chapter by examining her special place in the epic and the value system we may draw from it.
