April 10, 2003
Euripides
I'm re-reading A History of Knowledge, written by Charles Van Doren. I was impressed by the following passage, taken from Euripides' Suppliant Women:
When the people vote on war, nobody recons
On his own death; it is too soon; he thinks
Some other man will meet that wretched fate.
But if death faced him when he cast his vote,
Hellas would never perish from battle-madness.
And yet we men all know which of two words
Is better, and can weigh the good and bad
They bring: how much better is peace than war!
First and foremost, the Muses love her best;
And the goddess of vengeance hates her. She delights
In healthy children, and she glories in wealth.
But wickedly we throw this all away
To start our wars and make the losers slaves -
Man binding man and city chaining city.
The above translation is somewhat different from the one below, but tells the same story.
For whenso the city has to vote on the question of war, no man ever takes his own death into account, but shifts this misfortune on to his neighbour; but if death had been before their eyes when they were giving their votes, Hellas would ne'er have rushed to her doom in mad desire for battle. And yet each man amongst us knows which of the two to prefer, the good or ill, and how much better peace is for mankind than war,-peace, the Muses' chiefest friend, the foe of sorrow, whose joy is in glad throngs of children, and its delight in prosperity. These are the blessings we cast away and wickedly embark on war, man enslaving his weaker brother, and cities following suit. (see The Suppliants translation by E. P. Coleridge )
I'll not expound on my thoughts at the moment, because I need to let them simmer a bit, but the substance of the message seems to ring true: Imagine voting to send yourself to war. Reasons may prevent us from doing so, but it certainly changes the game when we are involved, when we are not just spectators. I would have a hard time voting myself onto the battlefield, but I can see and imagine reasons I would do so. Conscientious-objector status notwithstanding, self defense is self-preservation, both for myself and my family. I reserve my right to defend my own life, liberty, and happiness. When it comes to sending others to fight, unfortunately, it's much easier to "send" armies to war than to "lead" them into battle, or even personally participate, something that Euripides was able to articulate in 422 B.C.
No, this is not a political statement on my part. No, it does not represent my feelings about the current conflict in Iraq. It does, however, bring to the forefront of my mind the idea that we owe it to ourselves to learn from the past.
Posted by MEK at April 10, 2003 10:59 AM