Plato's Cave

The fall of Rome

An empire is created when more power is put into fewer hands. Although seemingly imperishable nothing lasts forever, and the Roman Empire was not exempt from that statement. The Roman Empire, characterized by fame and ambition, was the largest of its time and thrived in its achievements but inevitably fell.

Many attribute decadence to the state of the Roman Empires society, contributing to its collapse. The moral fibers of Rome were falling apart, and slavery contributed to this. Many were discontent as told in the example of Spartacus who led the slaves in an uprising against the Republic. Entertainment, literature, sport and lifestyle were saturated with sex and violence. None of which enriched the ethical values of roman civilians. Gladiator fights in the Coliseum, and acts of adultery and incest are examples of their lack of moral conduct. The corruption in the lives of the people spread, and was the byproduct of the perversion of the wealthy that held most of the power.

The roman government kept becoming increasingly powerful, run by the rich and the military. As this happened, the people began to feel more distanced and lost interest. Rome’s borders were rapidly growing, making it more difficult to defend and control. Barbarians surrounded Rome on all sides, and with their expanding borders they began to feel their pressure even more. Some of the barbarians surrounding Rome included the Huns, Visigoths, and Vandals.
         At a time of such low ethics, the teachings of Christ would come as a shock to many. His teachings said that the Kingdom of God would belong to the poor and meek. He taught of love and forgiveness. This new wisdom gave the lowly hope and courage, changing the attitude of social classes. Christ’s ideas challenged Rome’s ideas, but didn’t contribute to its fall. All it did was bring forth a long awaited putting in perspective of their rambunctious lifestyle, which was headed towards failure. Sybils curse prophesized that Rome would be defeated by itself, and that was so.   

The fall of Rome wasn’t a single event, but a myriad that led to a steady decline. New virtues for the society brought by Christianity defied their moral decadence, which was one of the contributing factors to Rome’s collapse. Rome slowly became overwhelmed by its shear size, and began to lose control. Now, the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire has become an obsession to western culture, seeing how we can learn about our own eventual downfall from theirs.   

Renouncement is a critical value in Buddhism. How does this principal operate in Siddhartha’s life? Is it a positive or negative force?

To be able to renounce is ultimately a show of someone’s control over himself or herself. Whether it be renouncing material objects or relationships, it prevails to be a difficult yet significant undertaking in one’s life. In Buddhism, it is seen that being attached to sensual pleasures is a hindrance to reaching enlightenment. Hermann Hesse exemplifies this view in his book Siddhartha. The main character, Siddhartha, practices renouncement during his life long journey for enlightenment, a force that positively impacts him in the end. 

Leaving his hometown, family, and predetermined future is the first set of things Siddhartha renounced. “…the intelligent boy, thirsty for knowledge; and he saw him growing up to be a great sage and priest, a prince among Brahmins.” During his life as a Brahmin, Siddhartha was well loved by everyone, it was apparent to all that there was greatness latent within him and with it expectations of his future. It may seem harsh that Siddhartha renounced that life so easily and without ever contacting his parents again, but the importance of his personal accomplishments outweigh that. The act of his father letting him go become a Samana is significant in showing that he knew the nature of his son’s essence, as exemplified in the quote “Now the father realized that Siddhartha was no longer with him and in his homeland, that he had already left him.” Siddhartha simply perceived what was making him unhappy and renunciation naturally followed. It was a liberating act on his part, not a punishment on himself or his family. In this case, he renounced everything familiar to him, his comforts. Later on in the book, we see that he relinquishes the physical world, followed by, in turn, the spiritual world.

            The next step in Siddhartha’s journey was becoming a Samana. With the Samana’s, Siddhartha is taught that enlightenment can be reached through the denial of worldly desires. He ignored his hunger, endured heat and cold, and long periods of meditation. Through these extreme practices, Siddhartha created a harmonious relationship within himself. After some time, he came to the conclusion that ignoring the physical world completely is not the answer. Siddhartha wanted  to create a harmonious relationship not only with himself, but also with the world around him. Throughout, we see the polarity of Siddhartha’s actions. With the Samana’s, he renounced the world of flesh tremendously, and during the next stage of his life with Kamala we see another extreme.

            During the next phase of Siddhartha’s life, we see that he renounced all, if not most, of his spirituality for an existence defined by lust. Kamala taught him the art of love, and Kamaswami the art of business. He learnt “..how to do business, wield power over people, take pleasure with a woman, wear beautiful clothes, command servants, bathe in fragrant water.” But eventually, Siddhartha realized that he was suffering from “the spiritual illness of the rich,” and that once again, he needed to reassess his renouncement. It became clear to Siddhartha “how closely lust is related to death.” So with that, he decided to leave his life of physical bliss.

            Throughout Siddhartha’s many polar renouncements, he found that enlightenment doesn’t come from mastering either the spiritual or physical world, but by finding a balance between the two. But his efforts weren’t in vain, because if he hadn’t experienced each side of the spectrum he would never have reached his conclusive realization. Every struggle in Siddhartha’s life was there to teach him a lesson, and the end result was him reflecting on each lesson and eventually the bigger picture of his pursuit; leading him to enlightenment. Each experience required some form of renouncement, and whether it seemed positive at the time or not, at the end of his journey it proved to be a progressive force culminating to enlightenment.  

Does the history of world civilizations suggest slavery and oppression coexist with the greatest achievements of humankind through the ages and can we escape this paradigm today?

 “The fact is, that civilization requires slaves. Human slavery is wrong, insecure, and demoralizing. On mechanical slavery, on slavery of the machine, the future of the world depends.”

- Oscar Wilde

Every civilization is characterized by their achievements. Looking back at the many ancient civilizations of the world, we specifically identify with each an architectural accomplishment; some examples being China with the Great Wall, Egypt with the pyramids, and Greece with the Parthenon. Though each of these great feats are magnificently different from each other, they all share the common question of who built them, the answer being slaves. Although the history of civilizations shows that slavery and oppression coincide with great physical achievements, today, a day and age where we are still producing an array of accomplishments, is proof that slavery is an escapable paradigm.
            The Great Wall of China is a perfect example of slave labor. The Great Wall wasn’t built overnight; its creation spanned across 1700 years with each dynasty adding pieces together to eventually form it in its entirety. It started being built in the Qin dynasty, from 221 – 206 BC, by the emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect Chinas northern borders. Anyone who irritated the emperor was put to work on the wall, along with captured enemies, peasants, criminals and scholars who weren’t paid for their labor. They were only fed enough to say alive, and many of the slaves died because of rocks caving in, exhaustion and disease. There’s a Chinese saying, ‘each stone in the wall represents a life lost in the wall’s construction.” Similarly, the Great Wall of China is often referred to as the world’s longest cemetery.  Two more leading examples are the pyramid of Giza and the Parthenon. The pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World built by slaves as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (or Cheops) over the period of 20 years. The Parthenon in Greece is a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. It took 15 years to build with the use of many slaves. The lives of many were degraded in order for civilizations to leave behind some sort of dent history, and it is questionable as to whether this is more valuable than a human life.

Today, although slavery is not entirely eradicated, it is very possible to advance and create great achievements without the use of slaves. A major factor to this is that we can put forth non-physical achievements such as the human genome, which is regarded as the ‘biological Rosetta Stone’. Our technology has also critically advanced, taking the place of what was once slave labor. The industrial revolution was a turning point in human history, and we can see the products of it replacing human slavery. Because of it, we can now use machines to complete tasks faster and as a much better option than enforced human labor. Now, knowledge is being spread at exponential rates rendering the use of slaves unimaginable. This is because everyone’s equally becoming more aware, and the facts are being spread to all and not just an elite few. The Internet is a major component of this spreading of knowledge. It is one of our greatest feats allowing awareness to spread to every corner of the earth, thus extending the thought that slavery is wrong, uncivilized, and a way of the past. 

Slavery in the past was used to help declare a civilizations advancement through architectural feats. Although this method appeared to advance a culture, it did just as much harm in propelling it backwards in regards to human rights. We have reached a point in time where we have advanced in such ways that we can stop the use of slaves, and rely on our knowledge and intellect to develop further; destroying the paradigm of slavery.

           

           

           

Who are the Child People, what are their values, concerns, weaknesses, and secret?

The child people are the “average people”, individuals who are concerned with material comfort, and things of the physical world. They are called the child people because they live like children or in an “animal like fashion”. Opposite from the Samanas who are seeking spiritual enlightenment, the child people are content in their ways and are only seeking material gain. The child people scold and insult one another, attesting to their immaturity, they “lament about paints the Samanas smile at”. They value wealth and success, and are concerned with money, petty pleasures and petty honors. One of their weaknesses is their lack of inner sanctuary, the ability of self-knowledge. The child people can love; that is their secret. They can love one another, themselves, and money.    

What does the river teach Siddhartha?

The river in Siddhartha represents life. In the end, it is the river that’s Siddhartha’s final teacher. One of the most important lessons the river teaches Siddhartha is that time doesn’t exist; the present is all that matters. The river, by being in all places at one time, teaches that all life is unified. Every single voice of the river comes together and they're no longer distinguishable; "And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil- the world was everything together". All these voices together consist of a single word; Om "perfection". The river shows that it is possible to be in all places at once and not loose your essence. Another major lesson Siddhartha learnt from the river is “how to listen with a silent heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinion”. Anything that hasn't been resolved or fully suffered will come again to be suffered over and over again. The river taught of this fateful circle. Siddhartha would suffer just as his father did, in losing a son. 

Describe the lifestyle and outlook of Siddhartha as a Samana.

       Siddhartha immediately adopted the ways of the Samana’s once he joined them by dressing in rags and eating only one meal a day. His hope was that the Samana’s ways would help him break free from the cycle of life he felt was suffering. His goal was to become empty of everything; desires, dreams, joy and sorrow. He reasoned that once he ceased his every impulse he was bound to awaken his innermost essence, and reach enlightenment. The oldest Samana taught Siddhartha how to practice meditation to the extent where he was able to enter every formation of life, and he learnt how to let go of his ego. Siddhartha reached the conclusion that he wasn’t sure if what he was doing had a point, if it wasn’t just actions going around in a circle. He also told Govinda that the eldest Samana hadn’t reached nirvana, and none of them ever would. The practices of the Samanas ignored the physical world, and Siddhartha discovered that that couldn’t accomplish true enlightenment. He explained that what the Samanas did was no different from a drunk, that it was just temporarily escaping the self. After Siddhartha’s time spent with the Samanas, he became weary of learning and teaching and he had little faith in the teachings taught by others. But nonetheless, he decided to go with Govinda to find the Buddha and hear his teachings.    

To what extent do the images above represent conflicting aspects of Greek civilization?

          The Greek civilization possessed many diverse characteristics, which joined together to generate their well-known prosperity. Although there was an umbrella under which most of these characteristics fell for each city-state, there were a few aspects that were exemplified differently such as war and art, creating a conflict of focus.

          The first photo referenced is of a body of armor a soldier would have worn. It represents the war-driven, aggressive and power hungry aspect of Ancient Greece demonstrated by Sparta. Sparta was a city-state known for their military pre-eminence, punitive and disciplined ways. Lessons of warfare and winning combat started at a very young age. Boys were required to begin their military training at 7 years old, and by 20 they were put in the front ranks of the army. The Spartan system was very conservative so to protect against revolts. Because of the military nature of Sparta the women had more responsibilities than the other city-states, because the men were always off fighting. So much of this cities efforts were put into war that they didn’t have the chance to produce great works of art or literature, even though they did accomplish their goal of having an elite army that was respected, though disliked.

          The other photo is of the Elgin Marbles in the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis in Athens. Pheidias and the architect Ictinus designed the Parthenon, which was dedicated to Athena. It was a symbol of power, wealth and worship for Athens. The societal focus of Athens was much different from Sparta, they were not restricted to one aspect. Athens produced thinkers, opposed to fighters. They valued beauty, intelligence and strength over authority and discipline. They had a stronger economy because of the trade they did, and their educational system included more of a multitude of subjects. Also, Athens had a direct democracy and was the height of the civilized world advancing in art, architecture and philosophy; becoming the foundation for the future civilizations of the west.

          These two city-states represented very different ideals within one empire. And although the Greek civilization was united under similar aspects, it’s the ones that presented conflict within that made them prosper to the extent that they did. The divergent aspects assured a civilization that had city-states representing diverse focuses, making the empire as a whole strong in its ability to conquer in every aspect.  

Survival of the fittest v. We are all Africans

To define the characteristics of being civilized we must analytically look at the development of humans and compare it to the present. There are two distinguished concepts that have been used to guide what these characteristics should be.  Throughout human history the concept of “Survival of the fittest” by Andrew Carnegie applied, but in today’s world our needs are different and this method of living needs to be adapted into something more fitting, and with that global concept being reformed we are defining what it is to be civilized and bringing in the concept of “We are all Africans” by George Eliot Clarke.

For many years we have been unearthing lost civilizations and studying them. Many, if not all, of these civilizations have been characterized by their tendencies to convey the concept of “Survival of the Fittest” by Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie states that wealth and power should rest in the hands of a few, and that it is essential for the advancement of the race. The Maltese civilization is an example of how this concept applied. They lived peacefully as there were no archaeological evidences of weapons or defense systems, and the skulls found were healthy indicating they lived sustainably. This civilization lasted for a grand 5000 years, but then they suddenly disappeared. A widely accepted theory as to what happened is that they were invaded and taken away as slaves. This would have been especially easy because they had no idea how to defend themselves, caused by being isolated. We see that it was the most equipped group that won over the more peaceful, sustainable one. The past necessitated this fight for survival because resources were sparse, and it eliminated the weak. Another example is the encounter of Homo sapiens sapiens and Neanderthals. The Homo sapiens sapiens were anatomically modern humans, who migrated from Africa to Europe around 50 000 years ago. The invasion of the Homo sapiens sapiens led to the extinction of the Neanderthals because of their superior tools and weapons, products of their intelligence. The Neanderthals, the weaker of the two groups, were wiped out because of the disorder brought about by the Homo sapiens sapiens. Throughout this whole time period leading up to the modern human, it was believed that aggression and conflict were the ways to conduct ones self. And that was correct, the fight was necessary in order to survive off of the bare necessities. But was that civilized? No it wasn’t. Now as time has passed people and civilizations have advanced, and knowledge has become more widespread; ignorance becoming a thing of the past.

Today we live in a world where everything is in our grasp, and competition is no longer necessary or needed. Andrew Carnegie’s concept no longer fits in this new world order; instead we can turn to George Eliot Clarke’s “We are all Africans”. Clarke values equality and the abolishment of war and social divisions. We have reached a state in our existence where we can rationalize, and search for the truth ourselves. We are at a point where we have choices, and can make rational decisions. Carnegie says “The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us today measures the change which has come with civilization…it is upon us, beyond our power to alter, and there fore to be accepted and made the best of. It is a waste of time to criticize the inevitable.” This approach is wrong, because it is evitable. Clarke’s “We are all Africans” is a better model to define the world we are living in, one where “…life renders us equal…we should seek to nurture life in harmony with other creatures…we should abolish war…” The aggression and conflict of the past has come to characterize our social, economic, and religious systems so much that many have surrendered to the view that this behavior is intrinsic to human nature and is inevitable. But those were ways of the past that we can now see are unnecessary and avoidable. By accepting that we are good we will set in motion constructive social forces, which are coherent with human nature, and will lead to harmony and cooperation instead of war and conflict.

Carnegie’s model of the past does not define what it means to be civilized. If saying that inevitable competition is civilized, then that would classify animals as civilized as well. Human beings now have the ability to rise above the animalistic world, which is what represents a civilized being. Clarke’s views support the best definition of civilized. He says we have “…the right to remake the world in our own image.” To do this, we have to know what our own image is. Universal ethics and values are now needed. This need is a new concept as we move towards a global community and human interdependence, something that has never before been necessary. The evolution of humanity to this stage is analogous to the growth of a human being. We started off as infants (primitive human beings), and then went into childhood (ancient civilizations), now we are entering our adolescence. We are in a turbulent period where we are gaining the ability to make conscious decisions. We are not denying our past, but we must acknowledge that competition and war were expressions of immaturity, and we are overcoming them. Carnegies model is automatically making the choice to cling to old patterns of behavior, instead of growing up, and working towards humanity’s long awaited coming of age. To be civilized is; to have authentic relationships; to live a life where ones self worth isn’t measured through competition with others but by the degree to which one improves his or her talents; to strive for knowledge; to have purity of motive; to promote moral behavior by encouraging individuals to develop a moral conscience.

           

            The Maltese and the Homo sapiens sapiens were examples of the way civilizations worked in the past, and contrast the direction in which we are headed. To be civilized today encompasses several concepts that haven’t always been apparent throughout human history. As the world is changing from Carnegie’s “Survival of the fittest” to Clarke’s “We are all Africans” we can begin to embrace these new and tangible qualities.