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.

Nicely Put, Sir

"You can't kill ideas with bullets"- Mr. Johnston

Mr. Johnston came up with this gem of a statement during our class today, and I was extremely impressed because I feel it accurately defines the reason that some civilizations, such as Greece, experienced such longevity while others faded into obscurity.

Greece was an innovative, revolutionary civilization. Everything from philosophy to mathematics, from architecture to military strategies, can trace its roots back to ancient Greece, where exploration into such fields flourished. Concepts such as democracy perpetuate the Greek significance in modern day society. So omnipresent was Greek innovation that mere warfare could not conquer Greece; the civilization lives on to this day. Civilizations that are united by vicissitudes and inventions do not crumble as easily as those that have no unifying factors or lasting influence. The great ideas that civilizations such as Greece have lent the world have not died through invasions, combat, or shifts in government, proving that ideas truly cannot be killed with bullets; civilizations achieve greatness through their ideas that survived the test of time.

The words of our own Jeremy Johnston...

"Potential is Irrelevant" ~ Jeremy Johnston

These words spoken by one of our own, Jeremy Johnston, are wake-up words, if I do say so myself. Telling his class about the use of potential and what it means to be a student, his words made me really think about what he means. By saying what he did about potential, he means that no matter who you are, no matter your intellectual level or grade, no one will ever get anywhere and be good at something if they don't work for it and make their potential grow into becoming applied skill and knowledge. Even if you do have a natural talent at something, say hockey, you won't become any better or become great unless you work for it and truly want it. Johnston states that turning your potential into growth is something that Michael Jordan did. He practiced and practiced and he got better when he put his potential into action.
Therefore, we will get nowhere and become nothing if we cannot succeed or don't try to put our potential into action.