Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.
This quote is supposedly an ancient greek proverb but its origins are disputed. Nonetheless, this idea is timeless and represents what it means to be human — that our moments are not our own but rather a part of an extended timeline thru human history. We are but atoms flowing thru space and time changing form endlessly.
“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”
- David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
The purpose of this blog is to do just that — to share the knowledge and stories of the past to see how they relate to the present. The cumulation of human endeavors, struggles, loss, and success bring us to this point in the present. We are not bound to the facts of the past since it remains open to interpretation. That’s not to say there are no undeniable historical moments in history — say the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottomans.
However, these moments so key and pivotal to the lives of many cannot simply be captured in a brief sentence or two. They are not mere dates noted and memorized by rote. Let me further explain in greater detail:
- The fall of Constantinople was the essentially the last act of the Byzantine Empire’s history. It represented the fall of one of the longest spanning empires in history as old as the Romans themselves and lasting more than a millennia.
- The Byzantine empire did not collapse overnight; rather it was a slow nipping of a once great nation that eventually fell into ruin and became an afterthought — a common occurrence when considering the rise and fall of many nations. The lessons to be learned here are boundless and can play a deep role in understanding how we can enable our own present day societies to persevere and overcome the slow decay that always presents itself.
- The fall of the Byzantines did not mean the end of Greek culture. While there was a period of reduced exuberance for the original Greek ways — the revival of the old Peloponnesian Peninsula post WWI showed that the people resisted and persisted in their own ways; enduring till there was a time to reclaim what had always been with them. Similarly, in present days we often define our societies by key pivotal elections or moments. Rather these are just battles in an endless conflict — the underlying elements and challenges rarely disappear in brief moments.
As long as we have noted in human history there is a perpetual rise and fall of countries, nations, and empires. None have endured as change is never ending and unceasing. Whether they adapt or resist determine the fates of not only a country but all its people and the those have yet to come.
This itself leads to a key point — what about the average person who lived thru such times? Do they simply get swept away ignorant of the changes until it is too late or do they find themselves aware yet powerless? How does an average person persist — resist and survive during these turbulent times? What becomes of them and their stories? How do their actions remain with us to today — and how will our own choices impact the world ahead?
During these interesting times it can be important to remind ourselves that we’re all still part of the grand story that is human history. While we are actors in this moment driven by our actions and thoughts we all help write a story that is as old as humanity itself. We can likewise, always look back on the past for lessons on overcoming the challenges we face today.
Most pressingly, we are at a time when information is boundless and accessible in every form. Similarly, misinformation spreads faster than truth. Nonetheless, this is just another change that humanity must overcome to succeed — and I hope that by indulging me in the stories to come you’ll find your own way of finding truth and the humanity in one another we need most.
