Nightmare Fodder

From the Sacred India Tarot, the Nine of Arrows (Swords); from the State by State Playing Cards, 'Indiana/4 of Diamonds:'

          Amba was a princess whose marriage proposal had been spurned by Bhishma (who had taken a vow of celibacy). Amba performed austerities in order to take the form of a man so that she could go into battle and kill Bhishma. She eventually succeeded, becoming Shikhandi. When Bhishma saw Shikhandi, he knew this man had originally been born a woman. It would be dishonorable to take up arms against a woman, so he allowed himself to be shot and killed by Shikhandi/Amba. I doubt either got lasting satisfaction for standing up for what they believed was honorable. Indiana is home of the Indy 500, a car race considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport. The 2018 winner of this 500 mile race took home $2.5 million purse. So far, there have been 75 fatalities associated with this race, including drivers, mechanics and spectators. Winning at any cost seems to come at a high cost indeed. What motivates us to succeed can also be our own undoing, providing nightmare fodder for years.