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Diogenes and Thucydides: Men of wit and morality

February 06
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Follies, ignorance, and errors, though we don't often like to admit that we have them, are quite usual in the common man. This is most prominent in those charged with any sort of political power, from wealthy business owners to immoral and careless leaders from around the world, both present and past. Due to our arrogance we tend to overlook the obvious, how men are capable of rather stupid acts, are too desirous in our needs, and how we fail to correct them can on occasion lead to these follies being thrown back into our faces. Two men, Diogenes and Thucydides, are the most prominent of these critics.

Their presence sparked mixed emotions in the crowd, those who feel threatened by this mockery of their lives, and those ashamed of how they could not see the errors in their ways. Not only must the lives and individual selves of Diogenes and Thucydides be discussed, but how their mere presence and thought changed both the Greek world and our own.

Diogenes was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Sinope. His father was accused on a crime charged against him by political enemies. Understandingly Diogenes was furious at his own exile due to the wrongness of these greedy and corrupt men. Sadly for the Athenians at the time, he decided to move both himself and his unhappiness to the polis of Athens. Though Athens was a democracy, the air of aristocracy still hung about, with classes of wealthy citizens and the poorer farmers and herders. He himself lived a life of poverty and self-reliance. However, he did not let this get to him, and decided to turn his attention to the problems of the people around him.

Diogenes is known for his sharp wit and interesting humor. He used these as tools to teach the people about their over reliance and that they should focus on themselves and how they are living their lives. By using question and well thought phrases, he caused his audience to stop and examine what they are doing and how they go about doing it. A human doesn’t need to own expensive cloths or eat delicate foods. These are nothing but luxuries. Why turn our attention to anger? It won’t solve the problem but escalate it. Probably the most noted example would be the meeting between Diogenes and Alexander of Macedon. One tale describes Diogenes poking fun at Alexander by asking why he just doesn't go ahead and rest, instead of having to conquer the whole world first in order to do so.

Along with his wit, his physical appearance made just as big a statement. Simplicity and self reliance were key. He used his own hands for cups, and lived in a simple pot to protect himself from the rain. A citizen could learn from Diogenes how a man could live without luxuries, all the way to the ripe age of 70.

Thucydides was a Thracian of aristocratic birth whose families owned gold mines of considerable worth. Using his fortune Thucydides invested himself in Athens and became a general during the Peloponnesian War. He was unlucky however, for he lost a battle and was then exiled for a time.

His accounts of the continuing war greatly explains why Thucydides questioned the leadership and misuse of power among his fellow Athenians. Despite being a democracy, Thucydides saw how a few influential men using big words could easily persuaded the populace into acting upon the ambitions of a few men. The best example is the ambitious Alcibiades, who in 1415 bce talked the populace into believing that conquering Sicily would "convince" the Spartans of Athenian greatness, and perhaps lead to a great victory. In short, the expedition was a failure, and proved what Thucydides had tried to tell the people. Over ambitious and all important people could misuse power. Not that all did, but that it was possible for those with power to abuse it. Perhaps this ideal was just as important to Thucydides than anything else. Why did people of power often fail to use it correctly? Was it poor training, something Confucius had discovered many years before? Or was it the thought that power protected oneself from retaliation, which in turn led to ill acts of carelessness?

War itself was another item Thucydides liked to point out. We fought each other due to fear, and this fear and the unwillingness to negotiate continued the war until one side ultimately blundered, such as the Athenians losing to the Spartan Alliance.

Today, it is almost expected of all citizens to know of the capabilities of power, and the chance that it could cause greed, and most importantly we see in almost daily life the populace in one way or another standing up to that leadership, asking for either change or its complete removal. The United States sees an example of this every four years when the head of our Executive Branch steps down to allow another person to take responsibility and perhaps correct the errors of the previous. Yet, during the time of Thucydides and Diogenes, either power was invested in kings or those with influential ties. It was uncommon to have these leaders look into themselves and ask “Am I doing what is right? Is the sacred contract that states I must serve the people in exchange for their fellowship, is that being upheld justly?” Instead, the two men of wit took it upon themselves to preach their views of morality and political justice to those who stood over them both metaphorically and literally.