Source, not the Surface

The experience of the unchangeable fate of misery is the most painful in the life of humans. When we have problems, we look for solutions, but when there are no solutions, we have only problems. A man named Richard Algear once said, "After every storm

the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul's indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer". Which is true until the day we die. However, in Oedipus's condition, he is sentenced to live his life full of misery because of the things he did unknowingly, that caused the death of his parents, and the sickness in the air of Thebes. If Oedipus would have known who his true father was, he wouldn't have killed him, and likewise with his mother. It seems that whenever the truth isn't told, much more damage is done compared to the intended solutions behind which the truth was hidden in the first place. This idea can be visualized through the common problems we encounter everyday. Two months ago, the pipes under our sink in the kitchen were leaking, so we covered up the leaking points with duct tape, which worked well for a week, then it wore down and water leaked out even more. The holes where the water leaked got even bigger due to erosion. In the end, it got so bad that we had to buy a new pipes. We could have fixed the leaks initially by filling the holes with caulk or some other substance, but we were lazy and decided duct tape would be the easiest solution. We should have dealt with the situation with greater effort, and not relied on the easy solution of duct tape. We should have filled the holes and solved the situation completely. As we covered the holes with duct tape, they got bigger and more leakage came out. This same concept applies to lies. We use lies as an easy way to solve a situation, when really, the negative effects of the situation build up inside the lies until one day, everything comes out in mass quantities. This applies to Oedipus in that if he had been informed of the identities of his true parents, and his parents knew he was still alive, it is theorized that his life would have gone better. Oedipus was ordered to be killed when he was young due to his prophecy that stated he was going to kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus was given false identities of his parents, which built up conflict and ended horribly. The truth of Oedipus's life was belied with "duct tape" which covered the truth, but at the same time built up the negative truth, until one day it all hit hit him, and he blinded himself. In society one can hear a lot about people covering up their problems with "duct tape", such as people who drink alcohol to relieve their troubles, or people who pig out on pie and whipped cream after they are dumped. They are just using temporary solutions to solve problems that need to be tackled at the source, not the surface.