Not unlike my late father so many years ago when reading a profitable book, I become immersed in the narrative and subsequently relate (as perhaps I am doing now) the intelligence deriving therefrom. There is always a lesson to reap. Plutarch’s Lives – though commonly denoted a Greek history – is inescapably recommended as a study of morality, confronting the sometimes rude and blunt truths of humanity.
Plutarch’s best-known work is the Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of illustrious Greeks and Romans, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues and vices, thus it being more of an insight into human nature than a historical account. As is explained in the opening paragraph of his Life of Alexander, Plutarch was not concerned with history so much as the influence of character, good or bad, on the lives and destinies of men. Whereas sometimes he barely touched on epoch-making events, he devoted much space to charming anecdote and incidental triviality, reasoning that this often said far more for his subjects than even their most famous accomplishments. He sought to provide rounded portraits, likening his craft to that of a painter…
Reading about the conduct or achievements of others is frequently tainted inarguably by the currency of the writer’s perspective; that is, making things appear to be what is preferred rather than an account of what was. The present day correspondence battled by those intent upon illuminating the past is an example of what is sometimes conveniently dismissed as “woke” or “leftist” or even such brutal political denigration as “socialist” or “communist”. If nothing else the perversions of analysis provoke enquiry and prompt reconsideration of meaning.
Example 1
It is a strange and unworthy feeling that prompts a man not to claim that to which he has a right, for fear that he may one day lose it; for by the same reasoning he might refuse wealth, reputation, or wisdom, for fear of losing them hereafter. We see even virtue, the greatest and most dear of all possessions, can be destroyed by disease or evil drugs…
This particular observation was strangely directed to a man who was reluctant to have children for fear of losing them. The fear exemplified the height of misgiving to lose one’s favoured resource or expression. Knowing as I do the never-ending conviction of parents to their children, I appreciate the agony of possible loss or other dreadful peril. Though the isolated exposure is understandable, it illustrates by comparison the breadth of happiness that may be forthcoming.
Example 2
Moreover, the state was on the verge of revolution, because of the excessive poverty of some citizens, and the enormous wealth of others, and it appeared that the only means of putting an end to these disorders was by establishing an absolute despotism. The whole people were in debt to a few wealthy men; they either cultivated their farms, in which case they were obliged to pay one-sixth of the profit to their creditors, and were called Hektemori, or servants, or else they had raised loans upon personal security, and had become the slaves of their creditors, who either employed them at home, or sold them to foreigners. Many were even compelled to sell their own children, which was not illegal…
Bearing in mind the popular comparison of ruling leaders to oligarchical groups, this remark is both disturbing and candid because it illustrates the axiomatic tale of history repeating itself while at the same time capturing the unavoidable reality of the continuing disparity between the rich and the poor. So intense is the magnification that it would amount to preposterous trivia to imagine that humanity will ever escape the accidents of fortune and loss. Awakening to this reality is stimulation not to eliminate diversity but rather to cope with it. True cooperation – even between the most separated interests – must entail accommodation.
Example 3
The greater part, and those of most spirit, combined together, and encouraged one another not to suffer such oppression any longer, but to choose some trustworthy person to protect their interests, to set free all enslaved debtors, redistribute the land, and, in a word, entirely remodel the constitution.
It is said also that a saying which he had let fall some time before, that “equality does not breed strife,” was much circulated at the time, and pleased both parties, because the rich thought it meant that property should be distributed according to merit and desert, while the poor thought it meant according to rule and measure. Both parties were now elate with hope…
Allowing people to live in a restful and peaceful state extends beyond the borders of one’s nation. It is a global and an immediate imperative.
Example 4
Being afterwards asked whether he had composed the best possible laws for the Athenians, he answered, “The best that they would endure.” And the habit of Athenians of later times, who soften down harsh words by using politer equivalents, calling harlots “mistresses,” taxes “contributions,” garrisons of cities “protectors,” and the common prison “the house,” was, it seems, first invented by Solon, who devised the name of “relief from burdens” for his measure to abolish all debts.”
Excerpts From
Plutarch. “Plutarch’s Lives, Volume I”
The latter quotation confirms the value of words but does not disguise the need for reform. It further reminds us that there is a margin between best and endurance, a gulf which, in spite of our contraction, must yet be sustained. Naturally there has never been the perfect answer to the inequalities between humans. Plutarch’s writings nonetheless encourage us to see the astronomic profundity of life, the value of thought and legal structure. Centuries of time have done nothing to dilute or dissolve these high-minded or high-handed matters of great consequence.
Featured image: Unidentified author (perhaps from California grâce à Julia Hladowicz)