Having done many different things in a long life, my mind can make some unusual connections.

For example, upon waking up this morning to the news of a major attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, my thoughts turned to a fabled story in ancient history.

Croesus was the very wealthy and ambitious the king of Lydia, who began his reign in 561 BC. In 547 BC, he learned of a Persian uprising and the defeat of the Medes, his longtime rivals. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to expand his eastern borders at the expense of the Persians. He took care to forge some alliances to increase his strength, but to be doubly sure of victory before invading Persia, he consulted the Oracle of Delphi for advice. The Oracle’s rather vague reply was “if King Croesus crosses the Halys River, a great empire will be destroyed.”

Encouraging news? That’s what King Croesus assumed, so he proceeded with his invasion. But to simplify things a bit, the fortunes of war quickly turned against him. Badly! It was only after his defeat and the capture of his capital that he realized the true meaning of the Oracle’s prophesy: the great empire that was destroyed was his own.

For the complete story, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croesus