The Burden of Truth #5
From Iliad by Homer, Trans. E.V. Rieu (London: Penguin, 1950), pp. 174 (ePub edition):
On the tenth, Achilles had the men summoned to assembly, an idea the goddess white-armed Hera gave him in her concern for the Greeks whose destruction she was witnessing. When everyone had arrived and the gathering was complete, swift-footed Achilles rose and spoke to them.
After any successful battle, the Greeks usually divide the loot among themselves. It is the compensation they receive for putting their lives on the line in combat. It's a way of motivating the troops to charge headlong into battle, eager to defeat their enemies. You wouldn't want to conquer a city if doing so wouldn't provide you any advantages. Troy held things of significant value like its territory, wealth, women and people the Greeks could enslave. The women of the cities sacked usually become sexual objects — enslavement all the same. Unfortunately, this tactic is still in use today in certain parts of the world. Terrorist groups like Boko Haram attack schools and villages to abduct young teenage girls, raping and forcing them against their will into marriages. While Boko Haram’s motivations are somehow unclear, they too, think women are valuable as commodities — objects to be used and disposed. The concept of what is a valuable changes every other decade or so. In the past, for instance, humans went to war over spices; today, however, it may be over technological innovations like microchips. Similarly, something that mattered to you five years ago may not hold the same value to you now. Attacking a city can also be motivated by the desire for soldiers to gain recognition and prestige through acts of bravery. So in the word’s of Michael Jackson, soldiers or war hawks always ‘wanna be startin' somethin.’ A prime example is seen in Achilles' story, where his mother Thetis warns him that if he goes to war, he will die young but be remembered forever; if he stays home, he will live a long but unremarkable life. Which do you think the dude picked? To be remembered of course. But to be remembered, you have to do things that others will remark on. You have to consistently demonstrate bravery or courage in the face of circumstances that would cause others to flee in fear. And many people flee for good reason. A certain type of mental wiring is required to willingly walk into dangerous situations. An equivalent would be rats infected with a particular parasite losing their innate fear for cats and even viewing the cat as a potential mate. In essence, Thetis’ prophecy will influence how Achilles shows up in any battle, strolling in without a single drop of fear in his bones, knowing that when his time is up, it's up. If you fight alongside him, you better hope you're animated by the same daemon. 🪖
In book I of the Iliad, Achilles and Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek contingent, argued over the spoils of war. The Greeks had captured several towns and shared the loot among themselves, with Agamemnon taking Chryseis and Achilles taking Briseis. Unfortunately for Agamemnon, his prize, Chryseis, happens to be the daughter of one of Apollo's priests. Chryseis’ father decides to offer the Greeks a generous ransom in return for his daughter. Everyone in the Greek army except Agamemnon were in favour of not only getting the ransom but mostly to not disrespect a priest of Apollo. It is worth mentioning that Apollo is the god of healing and diseases, among other things. Instead of returning the girl, Agamemnon insults the priest by saying, “Old man, don’t let me catch you loitering by the hollow ships today or coming back again in the future, or you may find the god’s staff and emblems a very poor defence.” The last part of the insult is where the problem really lies. Agamemnon's insult implies that he considers himself to be more powerful than Apollo. The priest, feeling helpless and distraught, cries out to Apollo with a plea that serves as a request and a reminder to keep Apollo bound by the terms of their contract. “Hear me, Apollo, lord of the silver bow, protector of Chryse and holy Cilla, and mighty ruler over Tenedos! Plague-god, if ever I built a temple that pleased you, if ever I burnt you offerings of the fat thighs of bulls or goats, grant me this wish. Make the Greeks pay with your arrows for my tears” By the Priest’s prayer we can sense the contract implicit in the it. He worships and praises Apollo, referring to him as "lord of the silver bow, protector of Chryse, and holy Cilla, and mighty ruler over Tenedos." The priest then appeals to Apollo's power as the "Plague-god" a quality of the god that would be useful in punishing the Greeks for their wrong doing. Finally, the priest reminds Apollo of the sacrifices made and temples built to please him before subtly demanding reciprocity (“Make the Greeks pay with your arrows for my tears”) It takes great faithfulness and loyalty to make such a demand of a god, and the priest's plea has now given Apollo a point to prove since a mortal has dared to ridicule his priest. The agreement could be stated thus: the priest will perform all the actions that pleases Apollo, and in return, Apollo will offer help whenever he is called upon. 🏹
I believe that we also expect that level of loyalty in our personal relationships, much like the Priest and Apollo, and when it is not reciprocated, we can feel disappointed. When we have been great friends with someone and have presumably supported them greatly, it is natural to assume that they will reciprocate that energy and dedication. While it is not necessarily a bad assumption to make, it can lead to disappointment more often than not. The only remedy I think is in a person’s choice of friends. Do your friends have the reciprocity instinct? The reciprocity instinct is not an obligation to reciprocate, but a genuine desire to show the same love and concern that has been shown to you. Another person might lean more towards benevolence. It is a disposition to do good without expecting anything in return. This attitude can also be a mechanism against disappointment because you are unconcerned if your kindness is never reciprocated. You will do the good nonetheless. But there’s also something genuine in that attitude. It’s not strategical, it’s more for the betterment of the giver’s soul. Anyway back to Agamemnon. Sometimes we have to make peace with a bad hand we have been dealt. Things will not always go our way anyway. Yes, you got a prize that you can’t tamper with because she’s the daughter of the untouchables. Instead of making amends, Agamemnon doubles down on his folly. He refuses to return the girl and as usual, every one in the Greek army must pay for his haughtiness by an unforgiving god. People with power and influence often wonder why they are always in the spotlight, but I believe they may not fully understand or choose to ignore the far-reaching effects that their actions can have on a wide swath of the population, not just in their own country, but around the world. That’s why people are quite concerned with how responsible a leader is, as well as their track record of integrity, fidelity in their personal relationships, and transparency in their business dealings, among other factors. We consider these factors as signs of their ability to make sound decisions that would be advantageous to the rest of us. To address the issue of most African countries consistently having bad leaders who make poor judgments, we should question how they came to be that way in the first place. Are we failing to properly educate and train our leaders (not school alone, obviously), leading them down a path of tyranny and incompetence? Or are we rewarding their behaviour thereby sending a signal across the populace that we only want terrible leaders? In the end, you only get more of what you reward. 🗳️
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)