Thucydides: On the Early History of the Hellenes

            As I read, Thucydides: On the Early History of the Hellenes, which was written in395 BCE, I determined the subject or theme to be exactly what the title suggested - the early history of the Hellenes. The piece started by describing the Hellenes as “barbarians” partly due to the fact that during everyday life they bore arms for fear of being invaded.  Because they had no walls to protect them from outside invaders, they lived in constant fear.  The reading also described how the Hellenes developed into a wealthy people as a result of moving from the inland regions of the country to the shores. This action opened to them new sources of commerce and allowed them to more quickly enjoy a richer lifestyle.

While reading my assignment, the phrase, “…fear was quite as strong an element as love…” stood out to me. The reason this stood out to me was because in class we discussed what one would need to instill in people if they intended to rule the world or conqueror a people. The writer obviously believes fear to be just as strong as love as supported by the notion noted in the reading, “The strength of his navy is shown by the fact that his own was the largest contingent.” Simply stated, the people being conquered feared his number of troops.

                Concerning this notion, I wondered, is fear as strong a motivator as love?  Regarding a number of my past experiences, I would answer “yes.”  In some instances, I would go a step further to say fear is even a stronger more motivator than love.  For example, if my mother says, “I want you to clean your room; it’s because she loves me and wants what is best for me.  However, if my mother says, “Boy, if you don’t clean your room, I am gonna whip your behind,” she might possess a greater chance of motivation due to the fear she has caused.  Nevertheless, the more I thought about the concept of fear’s motivation, I thought of two verses of Scripture. The first was 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  The second was 1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails…”  These two verses, I believe, fully support the idea where fear fails, lover never does.

                A modern parallel I noticed in this reading regarded the transition from land to sea.  When the Hellenes moved their culture nearer to the sea, they had less fear of pirates attacking them and their economy began to grow.  Similarly, our modern world has witnessed the same as we’ve transitioned from sea to air.  As our modern world moves into new technologies, our economy seems to mushroom just as it was with the Hellenes.  As the Hellenes moved from prioritizing the land to the sea, their way of life changed.  Just like today, one tends to do much better when they upgrade their business with modern technologies.  It is this parallel I see between the world of the Hellenes and today.