The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe:
“An ancient myth tells of a poor young man who found a magical ring. The young man’s name was Gyges. He was a shepherd, responsible for tending his village’s sheep as they grazed in the summer meadows away in the hills. His job was lonely, poorly paid, and most of the time he smelled like a sheep.
“But in a cave one day Gyges found a gold ring with a jewel in it. He put the ring on his finger and discovered something amazing: when he turned the ring so the jewel faced inward, he became invisible. When he turned the jewel outward, he again became visible.
“You can predict what happened next.
“A crime wave soon followed. Gyges abandoned the sheep and returned to the village. Expensive things were stolen. Women were raped. People were killed. There were no witnesses.
“Gyges next moved on to greater conquests — stealing, deceiving, and killing his way to the top. He eventually murdered the king, put himself on the throne, and took the dead king’s lovely wife to bed as his own queen.
“How horrible, you say.
“But if you had Gyges’ ring, wouldn’t you do the same?…” [Read more here.]
Last week’s column: “Should I Marry You?” Answers From the Philosophers.