The story of Pandora and the box is well-known.

The story has a simple beginning. Pandora was presented with a box and asked not to open it.

Well, big surprise. She opened it. And out popped every imagineable (and unimagineable) pestilence. A cornucopia of horror for mankind.

But there was something left at the bottom of the box.

Hope.

Edith Hamilton in her book on mythology writes, "It was the only good the casket held among the many evils..." Hope was supposed to make up for all of the other malefactions.

But wait a second.

Why is "hope" a good thing?

I have a somewhat different theory.

Hope is the final pestilence.