Pericles goes so far, as to convince the grieving families and members of the crowd that they should be proud of their sons, and he glad that they died at an opportune moment, “They know that this at least is gain- to meet an honorable end (as they now have) and to grieve honorably (as you do) for those whose lives were cut off at the fortunate moment” (Wills 255). Both ancient Greek culture and modern American culture share this idea of indoctrinating the people to believe in the nobility of patriotism, particularly in a final act of martyrdom. For all that indoctrination and brainwashing are negative and generally view harshly, as stated above it makes strategic sense. The Greeks in city states faced almost constant threat of potential invasion,
…show more content…
I can understand the potential appeal of dying for a cause or something larger than yourself, but in practice this does not seem logical to me. I pride myself on practicality and reason, and sacrificing yourself for a cause, that may or may not be worthy, goes against all self preservation instincts. Arguably, dying in ancient Greece, may have been more preferable than surrendering and returning unsuccessful, as mention in Pericles funeral oration, but today, I do not see the point of needlessly dying when you could surrender and survive or escape. Further, the extent to which America imbues the ideal of honor in sacrifice is mildly terrifying. I would liken the intense belief to propaganda and brainwashing. I do understand the political motivations, as stated earlier, it does make sense to have a culture that honors soldiers and their sacrifice if you wish to maintain a significant or powerful military. However, from a moral and psychological perspective, the brainwashing or intense propaganda is objectionable. Additionally, the intense support of the military and sacrifice, encourages blind obedience of a cause, regardless of the circumstances. Now, this is helpful in a military where the soldiers are drafted, because those who would protest might not, thanks to the belief in acting for their country, despite their lack of loyalty to the cause. Again, from a moral perspective, this is
I can understand the potential appeal of dying for a cause or something larger than yourself, but in practice this does not seem logical to me. I pride myself on practicality and reason, and sacrificing yourself for a cause, that may or may not be worthy, goes against all self preservation instincts. Arguably, dying in ancient Greece, may have been more preferable than surrendering and returning unsuccessful, as mention in Pericles funeral oration, but today, I do not see the point of needlessly dying when you could surrender and survive or escape. Further, the extent to which America imbues the ideal of honor in sacrifice is mildly terrifying. I would liken the intense belief to propaganda and brainwashing. I do understand the political motivations, as stated earlier, it does make sense to have a culture that honors soldiers and their sacrifice if you wish to maintain a significant or powerful military. However, from a moral and psychological perspective, the brainwashing or intense propaganda is objectionable. Additionally, the intense support of the military and sacrifice, encourages blind obedience of a cause, regardless of the circumstances. Now, this is helpful in a military where the soldiers are drafted, because those who would protest might not, thanks to the belief in acting for their country, despite their lack of loyalty to the cause. Again, from a moral perspective, this is