I was reading about ancient Mesopotamia and finally, in particular, The Epic of Gilgamesh, which I'd heard a lot about but never read.
Here are some of the things that struck me while reading:
1. Wanting things before you're ready
Gilgamesh wants to conquer death after the death of his friend Enkidu.
Utnapishti challenges him to stay awake for 7 days to prove he's worthy/ready to become immortal. But Gilgamesh was already tired from travelling for months through the darkness of the underworld. Gilgamesh says yes—of course he's ready. Then he sits down and falls asleep for 7 days. The complete opposite of what he’d intended.
He misjudged his competence because of how badly he wanted something. He took his current weakness for granted and didn't fully appreciate the height of the challenge.
2. Second-order effects
I’ll definitely think/write more on this, but there's a thought in my mind about being wary of the enemies you make and knowing how their capabilities could confound your progress.
Ishtar sent the Bull of Heaven to attack Gilgamesh and Enkidu after they killed Humbaba. This was a second-order effect of them killing the first heavenly beast. It was revenge from the gods, so there's a lesson there. But there are also lessons before and after that - the first and third lessons come from Gilgamesh's rejection of Ishtar.
Lessons from the past
It's worth noting he rejected her by looking at what she'd done to her past lovers. He wasn't thinking in the present or future—how being the lover of a God could help him as King, or simply being misled by her looks or any other factors. He wasn’t just dreaming of the best-case scenario. Instead, he was pattern-matching to see what had happened in the past to others in his position. This is excellent - Gilgamesh showed ​decision-hacking​ chops here.
The enemies we make
However, in rejecting her, he creates an enemy. Her vengeance leads to him having to kill the Bull of Heaven, and subsequently to the death of Enkidu. It’s important to remember that relationships have second-order effects. You can’t make selfish or short-term decisions without contemplating their long-term impacts, and the radius of those impacts, e.g., how the second-order effects impact others.
When making a tough decision ask yourself: “For how long could this continue to affect me?”.
3. Procrastination / lack of immediacy
Utnapishti told Gilgamesh where he could find a consolation prize - the plant at the bottom of the ocean. Gilgamesh dives in and gets it. He does the herculean task. And then slips up at the final mile.
The plant apparently had rejuvenation powers. But instead of taking it immediately, Gilgamesh wanted to test it on an old man when he got back to Uruk and see if the man became young before he took it himself.
So there's already a potential lesson there. Maybe it was wise to be cautious. Or maybe he should have bit the bullet. BUT...
Before getting home, he takes a dip in a pool and puts the plant down. A snake eats it and sheds its skin, which proves that it really did work, but also now it's gone forever.
His moment of hesitation cost him the final victory. He didn't strike while the iron was hot, capitalising on his victory. He was lax, complacent, and paid the price.
