Iliad

Iliad
by Homer.

A classic book by a classic storyteller in Homer. The story of the battle between Greeks and Trojans for Helen takes place about 800 BC. If I have my facts correct, Homer told the story and later with advent of writing it was written down. Contrary to the expectations of Thoreau, I did not read the Greek version.

The story is about the Nobel values in man as they contrast with the values of their self-imposed Greek gods. Which I believe to be the conscience of man, whether one, many, or different gods. The book portrays the graphic details of killing in war and at the same time with the slaying of each character, there is a dialogue between each of the combatants. They go into verse as to their respective family lineage and noble deeds relative to the honor that death brings to both sides. That honor is derived from the combatants bringing their best fight for the most noble of reasons to a resolution, one way or another. Their reason for living was also their reason for dying.

The gods in my estimation represent the evil and unexplainable in the choices a man makes when at war. Yet after about 200 pages of graphic detail, I found myself renting movies like We Were Soldiers, with Mel Gibson. I was reminded in watching that movie that in almost 3,000 years little has changed. We go from many gods, to One God and we still resolve our differences in death. I was also reminded that in battle the hero's are always impervious to death. Which then you would presume that these heroes are guided by the grace of some god where dying is equal to living and the heroes survive because their reason for living, as decided by the gods has not yet been satisfied.

The Greek gods are not portrayed to be ones with honor or a conscience. One could correlate them to the kings and now presidents that lead their nations into battle. So then you would ask yourself if today’s leaders have improved over those of the Trojan's Paris or the Greek's Agemenmon. Well back then they were fighting over a woman, and in the end you discover from Helen it was all simply a family feud, sparked by the sexual tension of two men. Today our leaders, starting with Lincoln domestically and then Wilson on an international stage, provide freedom and liberty of all men as the reason for war. But then I have to also look at T. Roosevelt and Nixon/Kissinger who openly sight national security as reason for war. In this balance, I look at our national thought process over Iraq or any other nation that are seeds of terror and being of the mind of Homer, would follow the command of our leaders in avenging the death of our brothers and sisters and to ensure security. I would do this without question.

But then after 336 pages of killing you read the passages of Hector as he prepares for battle with Achilles it becomes real and personal what war means to yourself, your mother and father, and the society around you to face almost certain death. And then in the closing of the book as Achilles and Priam both mourn over their sons death and halt the battle for twelve days to honor their fallen sons. You first realize the importance of carrying the dead off a battlefield. You then take more seriously the words of General Schwartzkoph after the Gulf War, " It takes a soldiers courage, to send young sons into battle"

Oddly enough last week at our neighborhood block party, I found myself listening in on a conversation of veterans of three Wars. In each war we were liberating somebody and at the same time we were really protecting our interests. Each Vet described their activity in killing the enemy; an Iraqi, a NVN, and yes a Jap. None were proud of the methodology they used, from "smart bombs, to filling tunnels with neipahm, to flame throwers. Yet none really connected their participation in the event to freedom and liberty. I wonder if it would be proper to rationalize their actions with the avenging of the death of brothers and sisters or less hostile the protection of your own family and way of life. This is the mindset of the folks in the Balkans. I wonder if our Congressmen and President should read or most likely re-read the Iliad and Odyssey. Or not.