What Is Needed?

    During times of great crises, the morale of the people tends to falter.  The leader of the people usually responds with words to help rebuild the people's confidence.  By examining the words of these leaders, we can directly observe the dominant values of that culture.  A good parallel can be drawn between the values of the Greek culture and the values of the current American culture by examining the contents of speeches made by George Bush right after September 11th and Pericles during the Peloponnesian War.

    No one can forget the tragedy that was September 11th.  In their grief, the American people sought consolation in the words of their leader, who promised to heal their wounds by reminding them what was required to bring justice to the situation.  President Bush, the night of September 11th, stated the values of America when he said, "...we responded with the best of America-with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way that they could."  Thus, President Bush is stating that the greatest American Value is compassion, a value that he himself affirms (Compassionate Conservatism).  Compassion can be defined as: "Sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it,"(Webster.com).  It has been the compass of the war on terror, and the value for which President Bush states America is fighting.

    The Athenians also found themselves in a desperate situation in 430 bce.  In 431 bce, war broke out between the two most powerful Greek city-states: Athens and Sparta.  Akin to the American Civil War, this war was the greatest known to the Greeks.  The horror of a grand-scale war and the sheer volume of death and destruction was felt throughout Athens.  Pericles was both a General and a man loved by Athens.  Thus, to commemorate those who died during the first of the war, Pericles was asked to speak to the Athenian people in order to comfort their wounds and help instill strength in them in the times to come.  Pericles states, "It is for you [the Athenian People] to be like them [the heroic soldiers of Athens who had died].  Make up your minds that happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.  Let there be no relaxation in face of the perils of war,"(Thucydides, 150).  Thus, Pericles proclaimed that the dominant value of the Athenians was courage.  Courage can be defined as: "Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty,"(Webster.com). The Athenians believed that happiness was the greatest and most desirable state on earth.  Pericles linked happiness with another Athenian virtue; liberty.  He then stated that the only way to keep these two values was to show courage throughout the war.

    One can thus make a comparison between compassion and courage.  Observing the lessons learned in my post "Inch by Inch", we can see that compromising with the enemy is a path to defeat.   By sympathizing with the distress of our enemies and seeking to alleviate it, the United States is helping to undermine its own war effort.  Compassion to the enemy is indeed a form of compromising.  Instead of holding true to the needs of our own people, those with compassion to their enemies instead end up helping them.  Thus we can see that the value of compassion is indeed a road to destruction.  Contrary to this, Pericles properly identified the true nature of war and what was needed to win it: Courage.  By having the strength to persevere through any difficulty, the Athenians were able to achieve countless victories, never once compromising with their enemies.  It is courage that helps us win a war; courage that the American people need to affirm during this war on terror.  Only by being courageous may we be free, and only be being free may we be happy.

-Jason Roberts

-----UPDATE-----

    I want to make clear a point that I assumed was obvious in the above post.  When I was speaking of compassion, I meant compassion in relation to one's enemies.  Thus I was examining two different ways of dealing with an enemy.  Compassion towards those a person values is a different issue entirely.

-Jason Roberts

Comments

[mobadious]

Can you have compassion to someone a person values? Most father's want good for their children, regardless of how they treat them. Likewise, most people want to do good to their friends. It isn't even had to love you fellow countrymen, especially after disasters like 911. But another ancient book says "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only brothers, what are you doing more than anyone else? Do not even the pagans do that?"

Although as ancient people put different emphasis on different things, to the people it was written to, "tax collector" was the equivalent to a "traitor" and "pagan" was equivalent to "those in other countries". Don't terrorists still love those who love them (family, friends, etc). Shouldn't we aim to be better than these people?

[Jason Roberts]

Mobadious,

Thank you for your comment.

As I said, compassion towards those one values is an entirely different subject; one that I will not get into here.

However, as to your enemy (espcially an enemy that has killed over 3000 of your people), there should never be compassion. Quite the contrary, you should feel absolute delight in wiping them off the earth. This is my point