When discussing the ancient Greek mythology, the gods Apollo and Dionysus are often mentioned only a syllable apart, as if they were both one entity- despite them being ideological opposites.
For some context, Apollo was a righteous god, devoted to order and rational thought, whilst Dionysus adored revelry, chaos, and drunkenness. I know who I'd rather grab a pint with.
Both were gods of poetry, music, and dance, and the ancient Greeks believed the intersectionality of the two gods' respective domains to be crucial to living. Both sons of Zeus, the pair represent the importance of balance in life. To follow an Apollonian/Dionysian model is an to uphold an equilibrium, a structure that teaches us how to live, never straying too far one side or the other.
"Apollo plays the golden lyre, which invokes feelings of harmony and serenity. Dionysus, on the other hand, invents the timbrel, it is a drum beaten to furious, erratic rhythms that express his compulsive nature. Apollo retains abstract intellect, he is an educator of young men, and promotes logical and rational thought. Dionysus desires irrational power, he liberates humans to explore there potential for emotional and behavioural extremes, he allows his unconscious to flourish, and he is embodied by spontaneous emotion."
(StudyBoss. May 2019. Differences and Similarities: Apollo and Dionysus)
So yes, despite the gods' polarising characteristics, ancient Greek mythology suggests an Apollonian/Dionysian Model can only survive through coexistence.
For example, look at the tale of Icarus, you know, the story that warns us of flying too close to the sun; Icarus, a boy liberated in careless desire, sees his candle wax wings melt, and falls to an untimely death. We can only assume he favoured his Dionysian impulses too greatly, without consulting his Apollonian rationalities first.
This lesson is apparent in many a tale, Greek mythological heroes regularly sited as both intelligent and brave- in other words, Apollonian and Dionysian. For example, look at Perseus and his use of his shield's reflection to defeat Medusa. Brains and brawn you might say? This theme is consistent in other heroic mythological tales, such as Theseus' escape from The Labyrinth, where he used a roll of string to find the maze's exit (after killing a Minotaur of course.)
But how does ANY of this apply to a blog-reading twenty-something year old, I hear you screech ferociously at your computer. I'm not fighting sea-monsters and/or having incestuous relationships with my omniscient mother, you claim, wondering why you decided to read this garbage in the first place. And it's true, you're not, at least I hope. No, you're facing something much more terrifying:
The exponentially growing and impending expectation of having your shit together.
This expectation is poured down our throats like wine, and our digital cupbearers, LinkedIn and Instagram, have only exacerbated our success-fuelled inebriation. They unashamedly showcase this success, and instigate comparison and competition between friends and strangers alike. This is done so frequently it's hard to recognise. We've been normalised to not analyse our wellbeing, but merely improve our wellbeing by being the 'best we can be' or through becoming 'as successful as possible', conforming to the having-your-shit-together expectation, and therefore, by proximity, believing this will make us happy, more fulfilled even. To some, it might. To others, such as myself, less so. The reason I bring this up is we are often told this method of thinking is in fact an Apollonian/Dionysian balance, that these said preferred expectations passed down to us are balanced in their very nature. But to what extent is this 'success', this 'progression', this 'having-your-shit-together' truly balanced?
Many in the working world could view their own job as a mixture of Apollonian and Dionysian. For example, in almost all occupational walks of life, humans have to work using laws, routines, logic, tried and tested methods, recipes, rules, regulations, and rationalities. (All of which are distinctly Apollonian traits.)
However, every day we encounter many situations that don't play by procedure, nor pattern, and as hard as humanity tries you can never fully separate the spontaneous from the standard. Sometimes we have to gamble, take a risk, act on instinct alone, emote, improvise,
(All of which are distinctively Dionysian traits.)
I would argue that without these flickers of the Dionysian in our day to day, we wouldn't be living at all, merely existing. That's why so many find satisfaction in lines of work you could classify as 'exciting' or 'dangerous' : their gratification is bridging the gap between the Apollonian and Dionysian self, rebalancing their scales. Take a look at some (conventionally) duller lines of work, and the industries' reliance on field-days, on themed weekdays, prizes, bonuses, commissions, and out-of-work-socials, to motivate their employees. These techniques offer us a short and sweet Dionysian release from the monotony we're conditioned to rely upon.
For example, it's a Thursday evening, and your work colleagues and yourself are gearing up for a night of hedonism. I don't know, maybe it's 'Thirsty Thursdays', and the local boozer is serving £6 doubles until midnight- what a treat. To partake tonight, to drink, to laugh, to fuck, to fight, to dance, to rant, to love, and to indulge, can be seen as a resistance to your Apollonian self.
If you find balance in this routine, then perhaps you're in the right job. But, here's some food for thought: Is it better to achieve balance through short bursts of Dionysian, confined within a routinely Apollonian life, or is there another direction we can take? What if we decided to just go with our gut on everything? What would it mean? Catastrophe? Freedom?
Well, to 'go with your gut' is to listen to a biochemical algorithm supplanted in your brain. This algorithm is and has been forever genetically tried-and-tested. Even before the days we resembled nothing but pond-dwelling sludge-salamanders, we have continually navigated the cosmic soup using this exact method of decision making. So, sometimes you don't need think at all. To act on instinct alone is an act of resistance, defiance even, to your Apollonian self; the reason we often fear spontaneity, change, and acts that occur out of pattern with the norm, is because we've been conditioned to know EVERYTHING. We are both blessed and cursed with information, knowledge, and rationale, so carry an Apollonian weight on us.
But this Apollonian weight isn't just a burden. It's also a mentor. It stops our world from self-destructing (well, slows it down), it stops our most base primal urges, and teaches us to transcend them. For better or worse, logic allows us to utilise our emotions and direct them through less aggressive means.
So, what is the perfect balance? And what ratio of Apollonian to Dionysian should we be experiencing in our day-to-day lives as twenty-something year olds, I hear you ask.
There is no definitive answer.
With every great dopamine hit you experience, your body and mind must also experience an equivalent low in order to rebalance. Therefore, if you're living in a consistent state of monotony on your weekdays, and you're using your weekends as the time to go and exercise your Dionysian self (by being significantly more hedonistic and intensely letting off steam), your weekdays will forever feel Apollonian in comparison, not helped by the fact that your body is using this low period to rebalance on dopamine . This isn't always a bad thing; it encourages you to value leisure time more greatly, and if segregating the Dionysian/Apollonian sides of your nature is for you, then there's no reason not to adhere to this 9-to-5 routine. However, it must be said that young workers in their twenties that live in the 9-to-5 structure are often perceived to 'have-their-shit-together' more so than others, despite five days of their precious seven being ruled through Apollonian dedication.
A more alternative method to working in your twenties, vastly different from the 9-to-5, is to follow a more unregulated pattern of living, like being on a zero-hours contract, or by chasing dreams of self-employment, working at your own pace, and when you decide. This more sporadic and less confined working structure often balances Dionysian and Apollonian at your own free will, but ultimately, like the 9 to 5 routine, still separates each from the other. Your occupation still remains a chore and a duty, whilst your leisure time retains its hedonistic liberty. You exist within one (Apollonian), whilst you live for the other (Dionysian).
So what to do, regarding all said observations?
Well, that will come clear in part two.
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