THE MYTH OF REBIRTH FROM ASHES

Sir,
I suppose we have all heard the story of the phoenix. In case you haven’t, here is an enlightenment. According to Greek mythology, the story of the phoenix is a myth that originates from ancient Greek culture. The phoenix is a mythical bird that lives for hundreds or even thousands of years. When it reaches the end of its life, it builds a nest and sets itself on fire, burning to ashes.

From these ashes, a new phoenix rises, reborn and renewed, symbolising resurrection, immortality and the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth. The myth represents themes of transformation, resilience and the idea that after destruction or hardship, there can be renewal and a fresh start. A symbol of resilience that gives hope to those who are struggling. But does pain automatically transform us into something greater or is that just a fairytale we tell ourselves to endure suffering? The truth is, the ashes do not birth a new beginning. The ashes are you.

The environmental trap

The phoenix burns not because it chooses to, but because the environment allows it. If you are constantly in a place that fuels destruction, how do you rise? We are shaped by our surroundings—poverty, depression, oppression, broken systems, lack of resources, etc. Some environments do not allow a rise, no not at all. The idea that everyone can rise from their ashes assumes that circumstances are fair, that everyone has the same chance to escape. But what if the fire is all there is? Nobody cares or understands, what they only have to offer is, ‘push harder’ or ‘it’s going to change with time be patient’ makes you wonder, how are they even so sure or it’s all gaslighting? You never know.

The few who rise

While some rise from hardship, these stories are the exception, not the rule. Success often depends on privilege and opportunity unavailable to many. Behind every celebrated triumph are countless untold struggles. The phoenix myth suggests universal rebirth, but reality denies the chance to many. Consider someone born into systemic poverty. Every step forward meets new barriers: Limited healthcare, identity crises, economic hardship and a lack of internal or external motivation.

Their environment offers no resources or opportunities to break the cycle, or even the chance to contemplate it while struggling for daily survival. Hope for choice itself can be extinguished. For this person, rebirth from ashes is not just unrealistic; it’s a fantasy. Suffering isn’t a catalyst for growth; the phoenix myth fails. There is no rising because the ashes are a product of an unyielding system that perpetuates hardship, constantly fuelling the fire with no escape.

Redefining resilience

Perhaps it is time to stop romanticising or glorifying suffering, to stop believing that every hardship is a stepping stone toward something greater, to stop telling people the same ineffective phrase ‘meaning’ it will be Okay in siSwati. We should start acknowledging the ashes for what they are. We need to challenge the structures that keep people in perpetual suffering. I do believe they are mostly psychological. It is time to stop glorifying resilience without addressing the roots of destruction. Let us not seek rebirth in the ashes, but instead work to build environments where no one has to burn at all. That’s the only way we might see transformation.

Ask this question to yourself or someone else, what’s the worst thing that could happen if we could all see the ashes for what they are? When we perpetuate the idea that suffering automatically leads to growth, we ignore the people who are stuck in cycles of pain with no way out. It dismisses the structural issues, the oppressive systems, the economic traps, the mental and emotional weights. It shifts responsibility away from the systems that keep people down and places it unfairly on individuals. It makes suffering seem like a personal failure rather than a result of circumstances beyond one’s control. The conversation needs to shift from glorifying survival to preventing the suffering that makes survival so difficult in the first place.

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