Why the Greeks matter...today

I have been enjoying reading Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill. Gretchen is somewhat down on his writing style, but this book is a great survey of the contributions of the Greeks to Western society. Most of it was covered during my courses at UPS, but it's a great reminder of how interesting that period of time was.

I did come across an interesting parallel between our current situation here in modern America. Cahill quotes Thucydides, who wrote of the Peloponnesian war (between Athens and Sparta):

Practically the whole of the Hellenic world was convulsed, with rival parties in every state-- democratic leaders trying to bring in the Athenians, and oligarchs trying to bring in the Spartans.

To fit in with the change of events, words, too, had to change their usual meanings. What used to be described as thoughtless acts of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect to find in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one's unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action.

Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was perfectly legitimate self-defense. Any one who held violent opinions could always be trusted, and any one who objected to them became a suspect...As a result...there was a general deterioration of character throughout the Greek world. The plain way of looking at things, which is so much the mark of a noble nature, was regarded as a ridiculous quality and soon ceased to exist. Society became divided into camps in which no man trusted his fellow.

Sound familiar?