Blind Patriotism In Sophocles Antigone

Authority does and always has played an important role in helping humans determine their morals and ambitions. People live based on what they thought gods would do and for the purpose of possibly earning an eternal afterlife, even though they have no definitive answer to whether or not it actually exists or what it would be like. Blind patriotism leads people to follow their country, no matter how unjust the nation’s motives may be. There is an inevitable internal conflict waiting to occur in every person who knows they need to make a personal decision that goes against the teachings of their nation or deities. In Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things, as well as Antigone by Sophocles, a heavier emphasis is placed on humans and humanity rather …show more content…
It is concerning how many people live based on a set of guidelines that they believe will allow them to enter eternal paradise; a place whose existence they are unsure of. In On the Nature of Things, he alludes to the fact that everything in life experiences death, saying “The four that make this universe, are all / Composed of bodies that are born and die, / We must conclude the world is born and dies” (V. 92-94). Referring to earth, air, fire, and water, the four elements that many believed composed the Earth, Lucretius is pointing out that everything dies, so fearing it will change nothing. He later goes on to say that “Surely the heavens and earth must also have / A time of origin and a time of death” (V. 100-101). Here, Lucretius is placing the gods on a human level. He is specifying how the heavens, the home of the gods, suffers the same fate as humanity, leading the audience to assume that the inhabitants must suffer along with their home. If the gods suffer the same fate as everyone else, then they likely are not the best role models in terms of how to live forever. There is no escaping or finessing death; therefore, it is simply illogical to spend one’s life living in fear