Even if I walked on water my critics would say: what an idiot. He can’t even swim. (Selbst wenn ich übers Wasser laufen könnte, würden meine Kritiker sagen: was für ein Idiot, der kann ja nicht mal schwimmen.)

Berti Vogts

Hybris, in Greek tragedy, is the overweening presumption that leads a person to disregard the divinely fixed limits on human action in an ordered cosmos.

Vogts is a famous German soccer player who, in his later years, coached the national teams of Germany, Kuwait, Scotland, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan. In that order. He is 77 years old. It’s not known yet how the Gods will punish this mortal for his hybris.

The world is full of people full of hybris. People who believe they can take over other countries by terrible, deadly force; only accept the results of democratic elections if they get elected themselves; blame fate instead of their shady friends if houses collapse during earthquakes, houses built on greed, instead of solid ground; actively kill or passively ignore the desperate plights of those who don’t share their believes; lock away people who don’t dress as they should, who don’t love as they should, who don’t conform as they should; allow people to slowly and painfully fade away just because they have a brain injury; those who are convinced they know everything already. Fundamentalists of sort.

It’s reassuring that the Gods will take care of them.

Even if they think they can walk on water.