Saturday, November 18, 2006 Lee: Lessons from ancient Greeks By Kelvin King Lee Babble On
OF THE Greeks, the Athenians or people of Athens, were the strongest believers in participative democracy. They believed that all citizens should participate in the running of government. To them, political life was a duty of a citizen.
The Athenians believed this so much that they once enacted a law banning all Athenian citizens from any profession save two: politics and agriculture. To them, being a politician and a farmer were the highest form of work one could perform for their nation.
The Athenians also believed that their participative democracy should be shielded from merchants, commerce and trade. The founding fathers of Athens built the city ten miles away from the harbor, which connected them to the rest of the Ancient world. They believed that the dynamics of commerce and trade, as embodied by the harbor, and the dynamics of democracy were incompatible.
In other words, the Athenians kept politicians and money separated by a fictional iron wall in order to avoid democratic principles being corrupted by the trappings of money, commerce and trade. In democracy, the greatest value is the good of the people and the nation, while in commerce, the greatest value is profit. In commerce, it is money first, and it was this value that led to the decline of Athens. More and more of its citizens put either family or money first before the state. As a result of which Athens and Greece was soon eclipsed by the Rome.
So what are the lessons we Filipinos can derive from the Ancient Greeks?
First, keep the politicians away from money. The reasoning is sound. The dynamics of democracy and the dynamics of commerce necessarily conflict. One values the greater good, while the other values goods, period. With our current culture where the politicians - who are the supposed guardians of the state - are obsessed with either accumulating money or disbursing it to their constituents, we can see why our democracy is floundering.
Second, there is no shame in working in agriculture. It supports the state and feeds the bellies of the people. Without agriculture, without food, no nation can survive.
Third, we Filipinos should participate in our democracy. There is a fatal apathy among the Filipino people, which currently prevails. Most people do not care for our democracy, nor our government nor for politics in general. This probably stems from a growing dissatisfaction with our politicians and life within the country in general. The poor in particular, couldn't care less for our democracy. They are too busy just trying to get food on the table.
These are just some of the lesson we can derive from the Ancient Greeks. We should remember these lessons lest the Philippines goes the way of Athens, and falls to a greater power.
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Here's an interesting point: Plato, the greatest Greek Philosopher, founded the Athenium, where student-citizens could prepare for careers primarily in politics. The Athenium is, incidentally, where the name of the Ateneo was derived. Athenium in turn is a name derived from Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
And speaking of Ateneo, my college batchmate and now Jesuit Brother IJ Chan-Gonzaga of the Society of Jesus, which runs the Ateneo schools, was kind enough to inform me that Maging Akin Muli, a vocation movie by the Jesuit Communications or Jescom, is currently showing in SM Davao and Cebu. The movie stars Marvin Agustin.
Those who feel they have a special calling or a special vocation to fulfill should watch the movie. It may help them gain Athena's wisdom for the life choices one must make.
