Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Too much of a good thing

3) Is it possible to be "over-civilized"?
Yes, it is possible to be over civilized, just like it is possible to be undoer-civilized. It is all about finding the golden mean. Like in Goldilocks and the Tree Bears one chair's too tall, one's too short, and the one's just right. We need to find what is "just right" for everything. Too much freedom and you have anarchy, to little and you have dictatorship. But the middle ground is where you want to be.
Telemachus learns this at King Menelaus' palace. When Menelaus says on page 125 "..Bring them in, strangers, guests, to share our flowing feast..." He unconditional invited them into his palace, not checking to see if they were friends or foes. This is over civilized, yes we should be hospitable but only within reasonable limits. You don't invite the enemy into your house so they can pillage about and destroy your possessions. Again, its all about the golden mean, hitting the "middle mark" so to speak.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments from individuals other than registered authors are most welcome. Your comments, however, are moderated by the site administrator. We reserve the right to reject comments we deem inappropriate or irrelevant. Thanks for your interest in The Great Conversation blogspot.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.