Value of Virtue

"Unlike Greek mythical figures, the heroes of Rome's early past were not taller, stronger, wealthier, or better-looking than their remote descendants; they were exceptional only in virtue." - Ancient Mediterranean World, p118

Virtue is defined as moral excellence; goodness; righteousness. This fact, that Romans chose to idolize those who portrayed these fine qualities instead of those which are merely shallow and superficial, evidently shows their great respect for what really matters. The Greeks praised men and women of strength leading to great heroic glory whether by means of athletic competition or even the slaying of a giant monster. But the Romans on the other hand showed respect for those who used their skills for the greater good, exemplifying how high they valued dignified morality.

Perception

"Too often we moderns have forgotten Bosworth's warnings and instead continue to glorify Alexander's conquest. Yet to do so is either to neglect or to underappreciate the sheer cost of human lives of Alexander's reign."

-The Butcher of Macedon

Inquiry

"Their insatiable spirit of inquiry drove them to question accepted knowledge and seek further information for themselves. Pythagoras, the philosopher-mathematician, encouraged his pupils to investigate the causes and reasons of nature, thus beginning a tradition of medical inquiry."

-Greece and Rome

Inquiry and questioning were fundamental values of both Greek and Roman society, however these values seem to have eroded in our society. For the most part, people simply accept their surroundings. Surely, they wonder why or how things came to be, but this amazement is only temporary, as modern responsibilities soon take precedent. For these ancient cultures, or at least their most well-known and intelligent members, this was not the case.

Hobo geniuses?

"The Cynic sect...Extremely antisocial...challenged and exposed the hypocrisy of virtually all civilized institutions...distinguished not so much by their belief in certain doctrines as by their way of life - bearded, wandering, simply dressed, carrying only a pouch and a staff..."

All I could think of when I read this was "raving hobo".
You place someone like that in our modern world, you'd find that when you walk by this person, you'd just pretend they aren't there. You ignore the opinions of someone who doesn't take care of themselves, someone who is enveloped in their complete misanthropy. It's interesting that back then they were a respected "sect".

A Time for Song

"Now we too shall sing a song of glory named

for proud victory to celebrate the thunder

and fire flung weapon of thunder-rousing Zeus,

the blazing lightning

that befits every triumph,

and the swelling strains of song

shall answer to the pipe's reed."

-Olympian Odes, LOEB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O4VS6ikrik&feature=related

The Role of History

"What Herodotus the Halicarnassian has learnt by inquiry is here set forth: in order that so the memory of the past may not be blotted out from among men by time, and that great and marvellous deeds done by Greeks and foreigners and especially the reason why they warred against each other may not lack renown."

-Persian Wars, Herodotus

"Obviously, then, history is a social necessity. It gives us our identity. It helps us to find our bearings in an ever more complex present, providing us with a navigators chart by which we may to some degree orient ourselves...It helps us to find the particular example, to see the uniqueness in a past age or past even, while also helping us to see how the particular and the unique contribute to the general."

-The Ancient Mediterranean World

And the long road begins...

"Manus, the power of a husband over his wife, was less comprehensive than patria potestas, Even in the Twelve Tables it was fairly easy for a wife to avoid coming under the legal authority of her husband. Independent women whose fathers were dead could inherit property. They were required to have guardians (this may reflect Greek influence), but one clause in the code protects women's property rights against embezzlement by their guardians, thus recognizing women as the true owners of their property. These are some early indications that the status of women in the Roman world would be higher than their status in classical Athens."

-The Ancient Mediterranean World

The Myth of the Cave

"In the cave behind them is a bright fire. Unknown to them there is a rampart as high as a man between the fire and them; and on the other side of this rampart are people perpetually passing to and fro carrying things on their heads."

-Plato's Republic (The Myth of the Cave)

Good Character

"Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character."

~ Heraclitus

Anger

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."
- Aristotle

The Ultimate Vanquisher

"Do you not think it a matter worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude of worlds, we have not yet conquered one?”
-Alexander the Great

As ultimate conqueror of his century, and under the belief that he was a descendant of the almighty Zeus, Alexander the Great was unsatisfied when in one place, knowing there were areas, other city-states, other societies he had yet to succeed and assume his place as a war hero. Unfortunately, his need to take over various places came at the toll of thousands of lives, no matter who they may be. Nonetheless, he used his god-given abilities to his advantage and didn't let a soul stand in his path

Alexander the Great: Conqueror or Killer?

"This army Alexander inherited, and with it the idea that war meant not the defeat of the enemy, the return of the dead, the construction of a trophy and the settlement of existing disputes but rather the annihilation of all combatants and the destruction of the culture itself that had dared to field such opposition to his imperial rule."
- Victor Davis Hanson, Butcher of Macedon

Alexander the Great is known as one of the greatest, most skilled battle strategists of all time, as he continued to take over a vast area of Asia Minor, Persia, winning war after war, combat after combat and taking life after life. He and his army killed thousands upon thousands, relentless in their slaughterings, whether man, woman, child, slave. But were these killings all justified? That is the question historians have and will continue to ask themselves for years to come, and the only real answer is, in my opinion, no. He was merciless in allowing endless amounts of lives to be taken on his account without a single regret. He felt he was born a warrior, and therefore meant to kill. So he conquered as much territory as possible, to fulfill his own greedy need to be almighty. How can this be justified?

Genocide

"Alexander's inaugural Theban holocaust puts his murder in league with ethnic obliterations of our own era-Adolf's Hitler wartime retaliatory annihilation of occupied communities, Hafez Assad's erasure of wayward Syrian villages or Saddam Hussein's gassing and butchery of Iraqi Kurds."

-Butcher of Macedon

The writer, Victor Davis Hanson, makes quite the claim when stating that Alexander the Great was in the same league of murderers as Sadaam Hussein and Hitler. Through his utter destruction of Thebes, Alexander sent a message to other city-states that he would take no prisoners. It also showed his pure ruthlessness and lack of respect for anyone or anything except for his army. It is evident that Alexander played by his own rules, blood-thirsty and willing to do anything to secure power.

Power

"What is wisdom? Or what fairer gift from the gods in men's eyes than to hold the hand of power over the head of one's enemies? And 'what is fair is always followed."

-The Bacchae

This quote is referring to the pursuit of power. It is stating that "holding the hald of power over the head of one's enemies" is the greatest feeling and the means to this end are the ones that are always followed. Also, up until this point, the chorus had been stating that observance of the Gods was the greatest cause, however the message is now changed in order to benefit them personally.

Heros

"A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men."

~ Plato

We will change.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

~ Barack Obama

Live your Life

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”

~ Bob Marley

Good vs. Bad

"Are people good because they want to be? Or are they good because they are afraid to be bad? ... I think the good person will be no different from the bad person."

~ Plato

I agree with this statement as long as the situation is within reasonable bounds according to personal morals and the law. Essentially morals can only be broken if an individual holds them (and of course abides by the law). So, if that is determined then what about temptation? Does it get in the way of morals? Can it be said that selfishness does too? Why do we as humans give in to the temptation to be bad? I personally don't think that this is such a terrible thing. Being able to give in to some temptation can be a good thing depending on the situation and the context it holds. Opposed to this, I can also say that it is also a good thing to resist temptation; to not give in to what we want when we want it. Most importantly, this references back to the Greek theory of "balance" in life. Does this balance enable us to make these choices? Do we get too carried away with giving in to temptation or resisting it? These questions have to be asked by the individual at question. Only they themselves can judge this for only them.

For Freedom

A while back our class had a group discussion about freedom and the sense of independent freedom in society. What does freedom mean to you? What does it represent? These are just a few of the questions we were faced with in our discussion. Given the task of writing down a personal answer, I'm sure that each student in the class had a different one. Is freedom the right to an opinion? Is it the opportunity to speak your mind truthfully? I say it is the ability to choose for yourself. To be able to decided (for you) what is right and what is wrong. What is helpful and what is a hindrance. To make choices enables an individual to have power over their own life at will. However, making a "bad" choice versus a "right" choice all depends on the values and morals he or she has based on the people around them in life and their upbringing.
Freedom can be many things to many different people and it can be said that the true definition of freedom nothing but undecidable.

"It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either."

~ Mark Twain

Those Who Fall the Hardest

"Why, know that over-stubborn wills are the most apt to fall, and the toughest iron, baked in the fire till it is hard, is most often, you will see, cracked and shattered!"

-Creon, Antigone

One of the most unfair aspects of life is the fact that those who stand up for their beliefs face more threat of punishment than those who do not. This injustice has existed since the time of the Ancient Greek playwrights, and has been evident through history ever since. 16th century martyrs such as Thomas More faced execution for their religious convictions, French citizens were promptly guillotined during the French Revolution if they opposed the provisional government, men who fought for their countries were the first to die on the battlefield. Through the course of taking Classical Civilizations, I have not only learned the makings of a civilization, but have begun to recognize the pitfalls of civilization. This idea that "over-stubborn wills are the most apt to fall" affirms that in certain aspects of society, weakness is, in fact, the key to survival.

Butcher of Macedon

"Yet human experience has moral constants across time and space that are common to all cultures and cannot be explained away; by any fair measure, Alexander's inaugural Theban holocaust puts his murder in league with ethnic obliterations of our own era - Adolf Hitler's wartime retaliatory annihilation of occupied communities, Hafez Assad's erasure of wayward Syrian villages or Saddam Hussein's gassing and butchery of Iraqi Kurds - all government-sponsored murder, passed off through propoganda and disinformation as the regrettable but inevitable wages of conflict."
- Butcher of Macedon by Victor Davis Hanson

I sometimes lose sight of that saying that history repeats itself, instead believing that we re-invent history as time goes on. To a point we do, finding new ways to achieve the old results, but the fundamental emotion or idea behind it remains the same. Hatred, sadism, anger - these emotions don't change, they follow us throughout time and never let go and these emotions are the ones that fuel the terror that is inflicted on society. Alexander is portrayed as this incredible man, a brilliant tactition with the ability to conquer the world in the common story but this article counter acts the brilliant mind with the guilty act. He was a cold-blooded killer with no respect for human life or any form of mercy and yet this idea of him as this great leader continues unmarked by his indiscretions. He was the predecessor of Hitler and Hussein and he was probably the pupil of someone else - the vicious cycle continues.

The Female Alexander

"Let no one think me weak, contemptible, untroublesome. No, quite the opposite, hurtful to foes, to friends unkindly. Such persons live a life of greatest glory."
-Medea

While reading the excerpt from Medea again, I stumbled across this quote that Medea speaks in justification of her actions. I thought it related nicely to my last post about Alexander the Great's method of achieving "greatness", following the principle outlined by Medea above. Obviously the two share the idea that the greatest glory can only be achieved through actions that will frighten and deter others.
It is interesting to compare how this mindset affected both Alexander and Medea. Alexander, through bloody conquests, achieved the title of "Great" and lives on in history books as a legend. Medea, on the otherhand, is deemed a "wretched woman", living on in literature as a villainess. The reason for the discrepancy is simple: Alexander was a man, and Medea was a woman. For Medea, there was no glory to be won in war, no way to avenge Jason's betrayal. Therefore, she had to make do with manipulating her own situation to carry out her vengeance. This transition from woman's world to man's world was ineffective, proving that Medea was still pinned to society's views of the duties of women, duties that came with much more restrictions and judgement than those of men.

Work

"For the gods keep the means of life concealed from humans. Otherwise you would easily be able to work in just one day as to have enough for a whole year without even working."

-Hesiod (Loeb Classical Library Leader; Works and Days)

Work is overrated. This is an obvious statement; you might think "True, I'm lazy, I hate work". I very much agree. Our society, however, does not agree with this. Work, not family, not happiness, not love, nor any other unquantifiable, yet fundamentally more rewarding quality, has become the foundation of western society. Students spend hours working on assignments and studying for exams not to learn or to expand their minds, but to prepare themselves for university and eventually a career, in hopes of earning as much money as they can dream of. This is not to say that the Greeks envisioned this type of society, but they did value work over and above everything else. This quote, to me, says that if the gods are concealing the means of life and work is something that isn't concealed, then work is not to means of life. What the means are though, I am not sure.

Such a terrible situation.

It can be said that under the influence of the wine god, Agaue would not have attacked Pentheus. Since it is she who betrays her own son and kills him, we see that she is sick. So much like an animal with rabies, she cannot hear he son’s pleas for his life. Under the control of Dionysus, her sense are gone and no longer is she Pentheus’ mother than a wild animal on a killing spree. “not by strength but by ease of hand that was the gift of the god.” This quote also tells us that she does not have the power over her own actions at this point. It is Dionysus himself that is doing this deed with his own power.
Relating this to Greek culture, we see uncivilized behavior from Agave who is under the spell of Dionysus. This goes to show us that Dionysus is not acting godlike at all but rather using his powers to take advantage and seek revenge on the people.

Determining Greatness

GREAT- [greyt] Show IPA adjective,-er, -est, adverb, noun,pluralgreats, (especially collectively) great, interjection
-unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity
-important; highly significant or consequential
-distinguished; famous

I was intrigued by the two contrasting views of Alexander the Great depicted in the History
Channel documentary and the "Butcher of Macedon" essay. The documentary seemed to better fit the image of the man whose legend has lived on for millenia, but the essay (despite its negative tone) is probably valid too. I think the mistake is to assume that only one depiction of this "great" man is accurate.
The documentary told the story of a brilliant military strategian and intellectual who expanded Greece's empire; the essay focused on the horrific means by which Alexander executed his conquests, suggesting that in truth he was no more than a weak alcoholic with a penchant for bloodshed. We cannot regard these events as mutually exclusive. In fact, in all likelihood, Alexander was considered great because he was ruthless. Disregarding 21st century views of "greatness" and considering instead those of the ancient world, we find that greatness is inspired by fear. In nations of warriors, a weak and compromisable man would never have achieved such feats. To vanquish, he would have had to be strong, determined, and probably terrifying. Without being able to inspire fear, he would not have been regarded as a threat.
Combining the two views, we arrive at what is probably the most accurate depiction of Alexander; war tactician who used his intellect and skill to inspire fear in those around him, often through violence and bloodshed, to achieve the ultimate goal: building an empire. Does this qualify him as great?
Just look at the definition.