Ideas vs. Bullets

"You can't kill ideas with bullets." ~ Jeremy Johnston

This interesting quote is brought to you by our own Jeremy Johnston. During our class discussion about the Greeks and their lasting civilization, Jeremy Johnston makes us think about the words written above. The Greek civilization and empire lasted as long as it did, solely because it was based upon ideals. For example, the war between Persia and Greece was a battle based on nothing more than two conflicting ideals; the Greeks had their emphasis on freedom while the Persians had theirs' on slavery. There was Greek victory. This alone is proof of how strong ideas really are. When a society, such as the Greek's, are so strongly united over a similar ideal, they are metaphorically indestructible. No matter the many conflicts that arose, this is what has allowed their civilization and culture to prevail against the crucible of time. Ultimately, their civilization cannot be defeated by even the greatest power, time, because they are so strongly united within the web of ideals.