What the Greek myths teach us about fathers and sons

+ what is tenure? US Edition - Today's top story: What Greek epics taught me about the special relationship between fathers and sons [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 June 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair My father was my hero. During our summer holidays back in India, he would drive us to the town of Mussoorie, in the foothills of the Himalayas. As we passed lush, green forests, he would stop to show my siblings and me the dancing peacocks, kindling a love for nature and adventure. He also modeled grit – something that has helped me deal with my own tough times. Father’s Day this Sunday will bring different emotions and memories for many of us. Joel Christensen, a scholar of ancient Greek poetry at Brandeis University, writes about how losing his father and welcoming two children into the world within a two-year period changed the way he read and taught Homer’s classic, “The Odyssey.” Greek myths teach us that “[we are shaped by the people who recognize us and the stories we share,](” writes Christensen. He feared the loss of his father meant the end of their shared stories. But through children, these stories can find a new home and make an “impossible return less painful” – something that will bring comfort to many, including me, this Sunday. Also today: - [Who is Ebrahim Raisi, favorite to win Iran’s presidential election?]( - [Reflective pavement can help cool cities - when done right]( - [Punctuation as anti-racist activism!]( Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor Today's newsletter supported by [MarketWatch]( Odysseus reuniting with his father, Laertes. Leemage/Universal Images Group via Getty Images [What Greek epics taught me about the special relationship between fathers and sons]( Joel Christensen, Brandeis University On Father's Day, a scholar of ancient Greek poetry explains how he came to understand the father-son relationship and his journey of loss and yearning through reading the epics. Politics + Society - [Joe Biden, a father’s love and the legacy of ‘daddy issues’ among presidents]( Chris Lamb, IUPUI Biden’s relationship with his father contrasts with perhaps every president in the last four decades, who either had absent or distant fathers or abusive or alcoholic fathers or stepfathers. - [Conservative hard-liner poised to be Iran’s next president – what that means for the West and the nuclear deal]( Nader Habibi, Brandeis University Ebrahim Raisi became the favorite to win Iran's June 18 presidential election after his top opponents were disqualified. - [Federal policy has failed to protect Indigenous women]( Sheena L. 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Here’s how organizations can build morale and stop valued employees from leaving. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s graphic [A line graph showing the number of teams behind medical inventions. One line shows the total number of teams, one line shows the number of all male teams, and a third line shows the number of all female teams.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451