Lucky 13

Nov 18, 2015 (1 hour): As opposed to the syllabus, we were tasked to reread the last chapter of Book 8. The last chapter went over the Persian decline after Cyrus’ death. Boy oh boy was there a decline. Xenophon writes:

“ In other ways also the Persians have degenerated. Noble achievement in the old days was the avenue to fame: the man was honoured who risked his life for the king, or brought a city or nation beneath his sway. But now, if some Mithridates has betrayed his father Ariobarzanes, or some Reomithres has left his wife and children and the sons of his friend as hostages at the court of Egypt, and then has broken the most solemn of all pledges — it is they and their like who are loaded with the highest honours, if only they are thought to have gained some advantage for the king. (5) With such examples before them, all the Asiatics have turned to injustice and impiety. For what the leaders are, that, as a rule, will the men below them be. Thus has lawlessness increased and grown among them. (6) And injustice has grown, and thieving. Not only criminals, but men who are absolutely innocent are arrested and forced to pay fines for no reason whatsoever: to be known to have wealth is more dangerous than guilt, so that the rich do not care to have any dealings with the powerful, and dare not even risk appearing at the muster of the royal troops. (7) Therefore, when any man makes war on Persia, whoever he may be, he can roam up and down the country to his heart’s content without striking a blow, because they have forgotten the gods and are unjust to their fellow-men. In every way their hearts and minds are lower than in days gone by.”

Without Cyrus, the people go crazy! His own sons start to quarrel, the people begin to act immorally and unjustly, the Persian people do not watch their health, utter chaos. Their reckless behavior puts the very empire Cyrus put so much effort into an easy target for anyone that would want to conquer it. It really is a shame. I think I may have included this in my last journal, but again I think this demonstrates Cyrus’ lasting impact as a great leader. He establishes and rules a great kingdom and gives his sons the recipe for success. Yet, without Cyrus’s actual presence, the empire could not function. In my opinion, I think this reflects on Cyrus’ unmatched strength as a leader.

Nov 19, 2015 (1.5 hours): I really enjoyed today’s discussion. Like actually really enjoyed it. My eyes were opened to a new perspective (Cyrus’) in terms of “managing your wealth.” We discussed Book 8 Chap 2 where Xenophon talks about how Cyrus had no wealth to offer people, but instead he offered them meals and “little things.” Cyrus showed his love through his extravagant, magnificent feasts. He said that, “( 3) Accordingly he arranged that his table should be spread every day for many guests in exactly the same way as for himself; and all that was set before him, after he and his guests had dined, he would send out to his absent friends, in token of affection and remembrance.” In layman’s terms, his guests ate exactly what he ate. Dr. S used the example of someone taking a bigger piece of cake for themselves. Cyrus did not do this. Everybody was fed the same thing, so despite the fact that he was King, there was no superiority in terms of meals. When Xenophon says, “he would send out to his absent friends” this plays into Cyrus’ epimeleia. He is very observant of people. He lets people know that they are on his radar.

Another interesting topic of discussion today was wealth management. Croesus was worried about how Cyrus was spending his money. Cyrus tries to explain to him that his wealth will always be around. Cyrus shares his wealth with the people and builds relationships this way. This way, if Cyrus ever needs help, he knows that he can rely on the people he has helped to help him.

The last thing we talked about was cultural diversity. We debated whether or not Cyrus wanted a blended culture society. Additionally we reviewed some of the challenges one might face when moving towards globalization, but still trying to maintain the integrity of individual cultures.

Time writing journal so far: 2 hours

Nov 23, 2015 (3 hours):

Alexander the Great

Alexander’s story and Cyrus’ stories are very similar in terms of their boldness and maturity at such a young age. Both were destined to be great leaders from a very young age. Cyrus showed his grit through his hunting expeditions in his earlier years, and I think that Alexander was able to strut his stuff in his dealings with his father, Philip. Alexander and Philip remind me of Cyrus and Cyaxares. Cyrus was constantly showing up Cyaxares and stepping on his toes, making him feel inferior. The reading gave me the vibe that this happened a lot with Alexander and Philip as well. The example that comes to mind is when Alexander is introduced to his horse, Bucephalas. Philip and his men observed how wild the horse was, how no one could mount it, and how “savage” it appeared, and ordered the horse to be led away. However, Alexander feels differently. He voices his opposition and Philip challenges him asking if Alexander thinks he knows more than his father and that he could control the horse any better. Alexander accepts the challenge with grace and soothes the horse. He mounts Bucephalas and rides him in front of Philip, who is speechless. Philip’s attitude turns to tears of joy and pride and he kisses Alexander and tells him, “My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee.”

This reminds me of how Cyaxares told Cyrus that he was “little less than our king already.” Both men had promising futures that were rooted at a young age. Their elders recognized this leadership capability in them, and helped to develop and promote it.

BUT THERE WAS SOME RUBBISH…

I cannot make myself believe that Alexander had a “pleasant odor” emanating from his skin and mouth… Maybe it is because I am a science/biology nerd and tend to think of anything like this literally. I cannot rationalize this claim with any scientific phenomena. Maybe he had diabetes? People that have diabetes often have sweet-smelling breath I have heard. So unless Alexander was diabetic, I REFUSE to believe the passage that follows describing this so-called “pleasant odour.”

Moreover, that a very pleasant odour exhaled from his skin and that there was a fragrance about his mouth and all his flesh, so that his garments were filled with it, this we have read in the Memoirs of Aristoxenus.

5 Now, the cause of this, perhaps, was the temperament of his body, which was a very warm and fiery one; for fragrance is generated, as Theophrastus thinks, where moist humours are acted upon by heat. 6 Wherefore the dry and parched regions of the world produce the most and best spices; for the sun draws away the moisture which, like material of corruption, abounds in vegetable bodies. 7 And in Alexander’s case, it was the heat of his body, as it would seem, which made him prone to drink, and choleric.

The next passage I have difficulty believing is as follows:

4 In consequence of these exploits, then, as was natural, Philip was excessively fond of his son, so that he even rejoiced to hear the Macedonians call Alexander their king, but Philip their general. 5 However, the disorders in his household, due to the fact that his marriages and amours carried into the kingdom the infection, as it were, which reigned in the p247women’s apartments, produced many grounds of offence and great quarrels between father and son, and these the bad temper of Olympias, who was a jealous and sullen woman, made still greater, since she spurred Alexander on. 6 The most open quarrel was brought on by Attalus at the marriage of Cleopatra, a maiden whom Philip was taking to wife, having fallen in love with the girl when he was past the age for it.15 7 Attalus, now, was the girl’s uncle, and being in his cups, he called upon the Macedonians to ask of the gods that from Philip and Cleopatra there might be born a legitimate successor to the kingdom. 8 At this Alexander was exasperated, and with the words, “But what of me, base wretch? Dost thou take me for a bastard?” threw a cup at him. 9 Then Philip rose up against him with drawn sword, but, fortunately for both, his anger and his wine made him trip and fall. 10 Then Alexander, mocking over him, said: “Look now, men! here is one who was preparing to cross from Europe into Asia; and he is upset in trying to cross from couch to couch.” 11 After this drunken broil Alexander took Olympias and established her in Epirus, while he himself tarried in Illyria.

In response to this first sentence specifically, I do not see Philip being as “excessively fond” of his son as stated. Since Alexander is quickly emerging to be such a great leader in the eyes of everybody, even if this has meant stepping on his father’s toes at times, I do not see Philip being excessively fond of him. If anything, I would expect some phthonos from Philip towards Alexander. I think he would be jealous of Alexander’s great leaps and bounds that have happened at such a young age and often at Philip’s expense. At the end of the passage where it describes a drunk Philip attempting to challenge Alexander with his sword, these are not the actions of someone that is “excessively fond.” I believe that the truth comes out when you are drunk, therefore this supports my theory that Philip was jealous of Alexander, and not “excessively fond” of him.

Lastly, I had my doubts about the circumstances surrounding Pausanias’ plot against Philip. Read this crap:

6 And so when Pausanias, who had been outrageously dealt with at the instance of Attalus and Cleopatra and could get no justice at Philip’s hands, slew Philip, most of the blame devolved upon Olympias, on the ground that she had added her exhortations to the young man’s anger and incited him to the deed; but a certain amount of accusation attached itself to Alexander also. 6707 For it is said that when Pausanias, after the outrage that he had suffered, met Alexander, and bewailed his fate, Alexander recited to him the iambic verse of the “Medeia”: — 16

“The giver of the bride, the bridegroom, and the bride.”

8 However, he did seek out the participants in the plot and punished them, and was angry with Olympias for her savage treatment of Cleopatra during his absence.17

Maybe I am reading it wrong, but it seems like Plutarch is trying to paint Olympias to be some sort of temptress. He writes that her exhortations incited him to the deed of slaying her husband. It seems to me that in Greek literature, the women are always sexualized or portrayed in a “seductive” manner. Like I said, maybe I am not reading it right, but these were my immediate thoughts when I read this passage. Writers never fail to put the blame on the woman for one reason or the other. Could Pausanias not have just accepted responsibility for his actions without trying to unjustly throw Olympias under the bus? No. If anything, Pausanias is a sliver of a man if he can’t accept responsibility for his own actions. There is no circumstance in which you can murder someone and then make an excuse saying someone enticed you to do it.

Early Nov 24, 2015 (1.5 hours):

How do I think these stories got started?

It is quite possible that these stories were spread like this: word of mouth slightly changing the story each time. Also, I am sure that there were people with their own opinions of Alexander and his family. These people could have told the story with their own “twist” in it, and by “twist” I mean inserting false, negative aspects of the story. Considering this was so long ago, we only have word of mouth and literature to go by. Honestly, anyone could have been a historian because if it was written down or passed along verbally, that is really all we had to go by. It’s not like Alexander can come to our class tomorrow and say, “Oh no, that’s wrong. I stole their city on this day this way, not like that.” So in terms of how the story got twisted along the way and passed down to Plutarch, it could have just been by word of mouth. Everybody is going to tell a story in different ways. All of which may not be truthful.

Of course Alexander would be perfect for the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He possesses the necessary leadership, communication, and personal skills. These are a few of the areas that he excels in:

• Interpersonal Skills — Focuses on solving conflicts; maintains confidentiality; remains open to others’ ideas and tries new things.
• Quality Management- Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Planning/Organizing- Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives; delegates authority when appropriate; develops realistic actions plans.
• Initiative- Undertakes self-development activities; seeks increased responsibilities; takes independent action; takes advantage of opportunities; requests and offers help when needed.
• Project Management- Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.
• Technical Skills- Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; pursues training and development opportunities; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; shares expertise with others.

I bolded the initiative quality because I think Alexander particularly excels in this area. He is always ready to make the next move, he is not afraid to take the first step into uncharted land, and obviously because he knows how to take initiative.

I don’t think that there are other characters that are more qualified, but I do think that Philip could be a low contender to Alexander for this position. While reading through I noticed a lot of requirements pertaining to communication and oratorical capability in the job posting. Philip was known for his great oratorical ability, therefore I think he would excel in this specific focus. However, I still think that Alexander would be he best all-around leader for the position.

Could I do this role in 20 years? H*** yeah. I’ll be 40 in 20 years, and I will have spent my life refining my leadership skills in my profession. I have always planned to be at the top of wherever I go because I set my goals extremely high-sometimes unrealistically high- in whatever I do. I know that a position like this would be well within reach for me in 20 years. Whether or not I would WANT a position like this is the question. Like I said, I am more of a science/medical-minded person, therefore, I would not want an administration position. I want to be out in the field doing hands-on work!