Hephaestion: Human or Dancer?

I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was broad but I was kind
And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes
Clear your heart
Cut the cord
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I’m on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could
And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye
Wish me well

You got to let me go

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I’m on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?

Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we’re receiving
Let me know is your heart still beating?

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I’m on my knees
Looking for the answer

You got to let me know

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I’m on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?

Are we human
Or are we dancer?

“Human” by The Killers

Songwriters: Brandon  Flowers, Dave Brent Keuning, Mark August Stoermer, Ronnie Vanucci Jr.

Brandon Flowers has said in interviews that this song was based on a disparaging quote by Hunter S. Thompson who claimed that America was “raising a generation of dancers”.  The implication in the statement was that American teens no longer thought for themselves but were swept along by successive trends like marionettes with no control or self reflection.  The Killers song expands on this idea.  Flowers asks us to ask ourselves if we are human or dancers.  Do we take control of our lives and approach each day with reflection on how we interact with the world, or are we dancers, marionettes blown about by the wind of each new trend.

So what, you are asking yourself, does this possibly have to do with Hephaestion?  My question is this–and yes,this is another one of those posts that I hope results in a debate through comments.  Was Hephaestion human or dancer?  In other words, did Hepheastion have control of his life.  Did he approach each day by analyzing himself and how the events of that day affected his mind, his morals, and his world view?  Or was Hephaestion merely a dancer, a puppet caught in the wind of Alexander’s ambition and deployed when, where, and how Alexander decided.

I have always had the gut belief that Hephaestion was Alexander’s brake–his moral compass–that kept Alexander from losing himself to his baser desires, his mood swings, and his occasional craziness.  Not to say that Hephaestion was always successful as seen in the incidents with Philotas and Black Cleitus.  But, for the better part of  decade he managed to keep Alexander on a fairly even keel which is impressive if you consider that there was no medication in existence to help balance the mood disorder that I also have a gut feeling that Alexander had.

So de