Would They Be Proud of Us Today?
By Michael Boyajian
There is a question regularly featured in Greek publications and classrooms that asks would the Ancient Greeks be proud of us today? So would they be proud of we Americans the descendents of the Western Civilization that they founded. The idea warrants investigation. Certainly they would be fascinated by the epic battles we fought in the Revolutionary War against the British Empire and the Second World War against those who threatened civilization much as they were threatened by Persia. Perhaps though they would be ashamed by our Civil War because Greece lost its Golden Age in its war between Athens and Sparta but proud because we freed our slaves. Ashamed too by our unjust wars that stained our honor. But overall they would see Homer’s Iliad in our history.
Then too they would see Homer’s Odyssey in our ocean explorations, our circling the globe by plane our landing a man on the moon and sending probes to the planets beyond. Certainly American art would make them proud with our range of works from the Hudson River School to Modern Art reflecting the ideals found in their geometric forms, red figure and black figure and Cycladic art. So too they would like our architecture, the Capitol, the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge.
Then there would be our literature and poetry. Twain, Hemingway, F. Scott, Whitman, and our drama represented by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Our democracy would make them proud beyond what they had with our foundation in equality. But what of our political leaders? Washington as leader, Jefferson as Renaissance man, Lincoln as tragedy, and Obama as hope. But confusion over Nixon a Greek duality with good and evil battling inside one man. Then too there is LBJ caring for those without yet wasting the national treasure in Vietnam.
Our education though always in need of improvement would make them proud with most people literate and having secondary educations and our universities, the Ivy League, SUNY, the California system shining brightly. But they would be shocked by seeing women as equals for they were chattel in ancient days leaving us to judge them severely. Yet we find ourselves less evolved when it comes to gays, accepted in ancient days but still a question to some today with many gays threatened with violence.
Yes we could go on with sports, medicine, math and science and I think overall they would be proud of us yet somewhat disappointed that we had not improved much more over them after 2,500 years. Yes in the end a Greek dualism of pride and disappointment but what can we expect we are human after all and not perfect still subject today to the fates but still improved overall.
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