June 29th, 1998

Here's another caveat in the flow of my life: I've always considered ancient Greece to be the greatest single civilization in the history of the world. They were the progenitors of modern philosophy, religion, mathematics and astronomy - yet beyond that, they were also the only nation to have lived and died as an example of human achievement. More often than not, Greek heroes came from the annals of history rather than myth. Their leaders were a testament to a courage and pride which has since been emulated, but never surpassed.

Truly, the Greeks were less than perfect. These enormous gifts of the heart and the mind were squandered, more often then not, on the desolate fields of war. But for what it's worth, they celebrated life the only way they could - by the sword - and if one were to separate their methods from their intentions, it becomes clear that they were a people worthy of respect.

When Persia marched against Greece with an army that numbered more than a quarter of a million men, it was the Spartan king Leonidas that fought them to a standstill at the Pass of Thermopylae - with only 300 men. Or the strategic genius, Epaminondas; whom, upon hearing that the great Pelopidas was being held captive by a tyrant, immediately gave up his generalship so that he could serve in the army dispatched to rescue his friend; the same man who died in poverty, unwanting of wealth or fame. And of course, Alexander of Macedon, the boy who brought Asia to its knees and wept when there were no more worlds left to conquer.