The Prometheus myth meaning, in Jeremy Van Wert's reading, is that doing what you know is right can cost you dearly. Prometheus took fire for humanity without asking and was punished by Zeus for thousands of years. Jeremy sees the same pattern in ADHD: a strong sense of justice, pattern recognition, loyalty and the shame and burnout that can follow.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Jeremy sees Prometheus, whose name means forethought, as someone who looked at patterns and thought ahead, much like many people with ADHD.
- He describes an ADHD sense of justice as a profound sense of injustice that pushes you to act, even when it is not in your own best interest.
- Jeremy compares the eagle returning each morning to the shame cycle of asking whether you did the right thing, even when deep down you know you did.
- He reads Zeus as the top-down authority figure who makes rules that do not make sense, and says that leadership is intolerable to many people with ADHD.
- Jeremy believes the way forward is learning to modulate your sense of justice and protect yourself while doing the right thing, not losing it.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠPrometheus Story Summary: The Titan Who Stole Fire
Jeremy begins with the claim that if you have ADHD, you probably do what you know is right even when there are major consequences. In this Campfire Story, therapist Jeremy Van Wert tells how Prometheus did the same. His name meant forethought, and while his Titan brothers wrestled with oceans and mountains, he sat and thought. He saw patterns and could see beyond brute force.
When the Olympians rose against the Titans, most Titans fought to hold on to power. Prometheus looked ahead, left their camp and earned a seat next to Zeus. He was then given clay and the breath of the divine and assigned to create humanity. He loved the small, clumsy beings the way a parent loves children, and he saw that they had no claws, fur, fangs, wings or scales.
ᚢWhat Does Fire Represent in the Prometheus Myth?
Zeus did not care that humans were defenseless. Jeremy says he preferred them weak, cold and hungry because they were easier to scare and outsmart. The gods kept fire for themselves while people shivered in caves and ate raw meat.
Prometheus knew the cost. He was the only Titan among the Olympians, with no one to protect him, and his name meant he could foresee his own punishment. He climbed Olympus anyway, took an ember without asking permission, carried it down in a bag and taught the mortals to cook, light their way and bend metal. In Jeremy's telling, this changed art, manufacturing and the making of things forever.
ᚦZeus's Punishment and the Eagle
Zeus felt it in his bones. Jeremy says his fury was about disobedience and about lifting up creatures he wanted kept small. He tied Prometheus down in a remote place, where an eagle came every day, and each night the damage healed so it could begin again.
It went on for thousands of years, and Jeremy stresses that Prometheus never regretted what he did. He knew every day that humans were warm, could see each other around a campfire and could keep their children warm. Heracles finally shot the eagle, and Prometheus was freed.
ᚨThe ADHD Sense of Justice: Why Doing the Right Thing Can Cost You
Jeremy says people with ADHD often see things in patterns and at multiple levels, and it can feel as if everyone sees them, when they do not. They also see patterns in wrongdoing. He describes a profound sense of injustice that pushes you to act, sometimes against your own interest, while other people let wrongdoing go unchecked.
He shares that he was fired from a company after pointing out what was obvious, and calls this the curse of ADHD: recognizing a pattern others are willing to live with. He asks why we get punished for saying what we say, and for doing what hindsight shows was right.
ᚱThe Shame Cycle, Loyalty and Burnout
Jeremy compares the returning eagle to the ADHD shame cycle: Did I do the right thing? Am I good enough, smart enough? He says deep down you know that you did, even as the consequences keep coming. People with ADHD tend to pull responsibility onto their own shoulders while others sit quietly, and when Prometheus faced judgment, nobody spoke for him.
Jeremy adds that you are often counted on to energize rooms and absorb the energy in them. Year after year this can bring burnout, self-neglect and fatigue. He reads Zeus as the top-down authority behind rules that exist because I said so, and says corporate, do-what-I-say leadership is intolerable to many people with ADHD.
If this feels familiar and you want someone in your corner, Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, offers real conversation, live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚲHow to Modulate Your Sense of Justice Without Losing Your Fire
Jeremy believes you will never get away from your deep Promethean sense of justice, so the key is learning to modulate it and protect yourself while doing the right thing. He says there is nothing wrong with the way you think, and that your sense of justice has probably saved companies money and even lives, though it has likely also brought isolation and frustration.
He also notes that people with ADHD can act faster than they think, which is why he helps clients make decisions from a place of real value. If you want to work on that, individual therapy and coaching with Jeremy is one place to start, and a private 30-minute conversation is a simple first step.
This post reflects Jeremy Van Wert's personal reading of a myth and is not medical or diagnostic advice. If you are struggling, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.
ᚨ Questions people ask
What is the meaning of the Prometheus myth?
In Jeremy's reading, it is a story about doing what is right at great personal cost. Prometheus helped humanity by taking fire and never regretted it, even through thousands of years of punishment.
What does fire represent in the Prometheus story?
In Jeremy's telling, fire is the tool humans lacked: warmth, cooked food, light and the ability to bend metal. He says it changed art, manufacturing and the making of things for all of history.
What is the ADHD sense of justice?
Jeremy describes it as seeing patterns in wrongdoing and feeling a profound sense of injustice that you have to act on, sometimes even when it is not in your best interest. He says it can bring consequences like isolation and frustration.
How do you keep your sense of justice without burning out?
Jeremy says the key is learning to modulate your sense of justice and protect yourself while you do the right thing. He does not suggest giving it up, since he sees it as part of what makes you who you are.