Jack S.

1/23/15

Per. 4

                          Thoughts and Reflections on: Thucydides View on Humans 

Thucydides was a man who recorded events in Ancient Greece without bias. Thucydides also took the time to research things he wrote about and took accounts from eye witnesses to ensure he only recorded true information. Thucydides had very specific views on certain things including humans themselves. 

During times of war people would lose loved ones, homes, and lives just to name a few. Even though so much life is lost during war, there is an overarching sense of patriotism that inspires life rather than taking it away. Thucydides wrote, "Revenge was more important than self preservation." This means that people were willing to sacrifice themselves to get revenge on another city-state. People also came together as one during war because if specific people fought together it built an unbreakable bond between them. Thucydides showed this by writing, "The members of these parties felt confidence in each other not because of any fellowship in a religious communion, but because they were partners in crime." The spilling of blood brought two people closer together than anything els during war but it also tore others apart. This is why war was such a vicious cycle because once a group of people took life they couldn't stop until their own life was taken away from them. The one goal in most of these peoples lives was to make sure their city-state was flourishing. Thucydides showed this by writing, "Their one standard was the pleasure of their own party at the particular moment." During war, people bought into the idea of that the community always comes before them. War fueled the sense of community in Greece and the reason war even took place was because of the nature of the Greeks. Thucydides wrote, "An idea of moderation was just an attempt disguise one's unmanly character." Thucydides shows through his writing that in times of turmoil and loss if people have some thing to defend that has meaning to them it will bring a sense of community and togetherness.

According to Thucydides, the Plague brought out the true face of the people he was around. For example, Thucydides wrote, "For the catastrophe was so overwhelming that men, not knowing what would happen to them next, became indifferent to every rule of religion or of law." This shows that when people became so scared for their lives during the plague that they lost respect for the authority of religion and law. After this people were too unorganized and crazed to have funerals so there were the bodies of the dead lying out in the streets. Thucydides showed that people become completely overwhelmed and selfish when they fear for their own life by writing, "People now began to openly venture on acts of self-indulgence which before then they would keep dark." This means that people didn't show how selfish they truly were until they felt like they had to fulfill their selfish deeds. Thucydides also mentioned that when people realized that death is inevitable they begin to freely spend money and time on things that are of no use to any one but that are just for recreation. This shows that loss of hope and depression are infectious throughout communities. This also exposes the true lack of hope that humans had during this time period. During the plague people began to think they had nothing to live for and they began to lose respect for themselves as humans. Thucydides shows this by writing, "As for what is called honour, no one showed himself willing to abide by its laws." This tell one that people had lost their sense of honor in themselves and the world around them. At this point, humans were just walking sacks of meat that had no motivation to even live anymore. While some of the population had forgotten about religion and accepted death, the few that turned to religion had it much better. Thucydides wrote, "At this time of distress people recalled old oracles". Oracles were priestesses or people who were considered close to God in Ancient Greece and others used them as beacons of hope. People thought that getting closer to God would put him on your side and protect you. Thucydides wrote, "When they inquired from the God whether they should go to war, they received the reply that, if they fought with all their might, victory would be theirs and God himself would be in their side." This shows that God served as a light at the end of the tunnel for humans during this dark time. Thucydides believed that in times of distress and sadness, the humans that lose sight of honor, law, and religion lose everything and those who can find the small bit of light in a world of darkness can prevail. 

In times of war Thucydides wrote about how people would band together and become one, but in times of sickness where there is nothing left to work for people simply give up. What this tells us about human nature is that if people feel like they have a purpose as an individual it will positively affect the attitude and well being of the whole community.