The Many-Headed Hydra of the Metacrisis

What the ancient myth can teach us today

In Greek Mythology, the Hydra of Lerna was a fearsome serpentine monster with numerous heads raised by the Goddess Hera for the express purpose of killing Heracles. Not all that pleased about the existence of a giant snake with murderous intentions, Heracles one day set out to slay the Hydra.

He began by shooting flaming arrows into the Hydra’s lair in the hope of drawing the beast into the open. He then attacked it with his sword - displaying great bravery, strength and agility - severing one head after another. He quickly discovered, however, that whenever he cut off one head, two would grow back in its place. The more he attacked the hydra the stronger it became. It seemed invincible. So he called on his nephew and squire Iolaus to help him in the battle.

Iolaus hit upon the idea to use a firebrand to quickly cauterise the wound of each severed head, thereby preventing it from growing back. In this way, Hercales and Iolaus began to prevail. However, they then discovered that one of the heads was immortal. Even when it was cut from the body, it didn’t perish. With no way to kill it, Heracles decided to contain the threat of the Hydra’s immortal head by burying it under a great rock.

And that’s how Heracles defeated the Many-Headed Hydra of Lerna.

It recently occurred to me that this myth might hold lessons for humanity today. Firstly, as the metacrisis is not one challenge but many interrelated threats facing humanity - climate change, the erosion of biodiversity, income inequality, exponential AI, autonomous weapons, the decline of democracy - its fitting to describe it as a many-headed hydra. And just like the myth, solving one problem in isolation can lead to many more arising. For instance, a mass energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources could reduce carbon emissions, but it may lead to a requirement to ravage the Earth to mine rare-Earth minerals for batteries and solar panels, leading to the loss of biodiversity and increased pollution. To take another example, the emergence of smartphones at first seemed to be a positive development - connecting people across the world and democratising access to information. Within a short space of time however we find ourselves dealing with tribalism, the spread of misinformation, the degradation of culture via the “distraction economy”, and alarming mental health problems in young people, particularly teenage girls.

We cut off one head and two grow back. Can we learn from Heracles and how he battled with the Hydra and ultimately prevailed? Perhaps…

Firstly, it’s notable that Heracles’ first act was to shoot flaming arrows into the depths of the Hydra’s lair to draw it out into the open. Light represents consciousness, and so this symbolises the need to bring awareness to our present situation. We cannot respond to the metacrisis if we are not aware of it. If you’re reading this, you’re likely familiar with the metacrisis and this way of looking, but most people in the world are not. Most attempts at change are isolated. As such, there is much work to be done in bringing light to our historical situation and the reality of our time.

What’s more, the fact that the Hydra abides at Lerna, the mythological entrance to the underworld, suggests the metacrisis has roots deep in our collective unconscience. To slay the Hydra of the metacrisis may require a profound journey into understanding ourselves and the nature of reality.

Secondly, it’s notable that Heracles was only able to make progress when he joined forces with Iolaus, pointing to the profound importance of relationship. One of the features of modernity is to cut up reality into different parts and isolate things from each other so we can better understand them, better control them. Of course, this approach has led to many of the wonders of the modern world, but we’re reaching its limits. We are out of step with the deeper wisdom of interconnection and interpenetration. Our society separates education from the arts, spirituality from science, healthcare from economics. Human culture has been cleaved apart, and there is a necessity to re-suture our world. Responses to the metacrisis need to exhibit a multi-modal, relational nature. It is not enough to focus on isolated problems but instead we must give birth to new possibilities that give intimations of a healed, flourishing world.

For instance, I recently learned about a charity called Longer Tables who bring people together from all walks of life to share a meal around one long table. They regularly host meals with up to 100 people, but it’s not just about providing free food. These meals act as an antidote to loneliness, to mental health issues, to food poverty, to polarisation and tribalism, giving rise to deeper community ties, nurturing understanding to people from different backgrounds and political affiliations, and to the experience of joy and laughter. To me there’s something beautiful about it. It brings to life in the present moment the more beautiful future we are hoping for.

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Lastly, and importantly, I’m not suggesting “we can figure” out the metacrisis - that with enough ingenuity and effort we can come up with solutions and fix everything. Indeed, the Hydra’s immortal head cautions against the notion of a complete triumph. Learning to live with perennial challenges is the heart of wisdom.

Joanna Macy says that we can’t avoid the challenges and tragedies that we’ll experience in the coming years. We’ve already sown the seeds, the fruits will surely come. Instead, she believes “we’ll need to find our way through”. We’ll need to learn ways to handle grief, to grow our compassion, to weep for what we’ve lost. For me, the important work at this time (of which I believe Longer Tables is an example) is not so much about fixing the problems of this world, rather its about nurturing the seeds of the world to come - creating bubbles in space and time, of the future we’re hoping for.