Come Back With Your Shield

The Spartans mentality is often referred to here at USNA. My old company was 22 and their mascot was the Spartans. Over plebe summer we always said, “come back with your shield or on it”. The warrior mentality is one that is important in the future of our fleet. Even the old Commandant made the brigade read Gates of Fire because of the applicable lessons that could help us in the future. Pericles’ Funeral Oration highlights the importance of being a well-balanced warrior. Joining this profession where death could possibly be in the future, the Funeral Oration has great meaning. Pericles gave this speech after suffering great loss at the hands of the Peloponnesian War. It was the idea that these great soldiers were able to not focus on their own needs, but focusing on the needs of the good of the city. There was a great respect for the warriors who had died and they deserved the utmost respect since they gave their lives for Athens. As future officers, we must know how to be able to raise morale when hope seems inevitable and to fight for what we believe. The oration also stresses the importance of belief in one’s city.

…when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it, who in the hour of conflict had the fear of dishonour always present to them, and who, if ever they failed in an enterprise, would not allow their virtues to be lost to their country, but freely gave their lives to her as the fairest offering which they could present at her feast.

It is important to remember that a country is built on the sacrifices of others. The military is a unique profession in the sense of one’s sacrifices so that others may have freedom. The Athens mentality towards their brave soldiers is something that will be useful to me in the fleet.

King Phillip was a military mastermind with his innovations in the military. As stated in Readings in Greek History: “He reorganized the military formations and equipped them suitably with weapons, and held continuous military reviews and competitive exercises.” This kind of thinking is important in the fleet since it allows for safer ways to win wars. Continuous military reviews allow for the ability to reflect on what works and what could be improved on. King Phillip taught us that it is acceptable to change previous systems if there is a more efficient approach.

Alexandra Butler WC: 429

They Share More than Numbers

Islam and Christianity are the two most followed religions in the world. There are many differences between them such as the “ideology and theology”, however, there are similarities (All About Religion). Both religions believe in kindness to others and moral living. What surprised is how Islam began.

What also surprised me is both regard prophets such as Moses, Noah, John as high profits. Islam also believes Jesus was a prophet, while Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and is part of the holy trinity. They acknowledge the same people as part of their religious beliefs. The Bible is used as part of their faith. In Christianity, the Bible is the core text while in Islam the main book is the Quran. I did not know they believed in three main revelations from the Bible: the Torah, Psalms, and the Gospels. The Bible and the Quran have the ten commandants written in them. While Mary, is the only woman mentioned in the Quran by name, in the Bible she is Jesus’ virgin mother. This brings me to the next similarity which is Jesus. It is widely known that in the Bible, Jesus came to Earth as the son of God. While Jesus is acknowledged, in Islam he is only considered a prophet. He is a prophet that is held in high status as mentioned before, but a profit nonetheless. Islam and Christianity also both mention the devil in their holy books.

I do believe that the ideology between the two religions is mutually exclusive. The core beliefs between the two are fundamentally different in their beliefs when it comes to God himself. Christianity firmly believes in the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. That is what the faith is focused on. Jesus came to be able to take the punishment of mankind’s sin. By doing this it allows man to go to heaven. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb. Since Islam does not believe in this, it is impossible for the two to be exclusive. It is great that the religions seek a life that is filled with being good and kind, however, that will not lead to one choosing to practice another religion. Today, Islam is misconstrued because of the terrorist who claim Islam as their religion. By doing so, it has allowed a negative connotation to appear on this religion. Nonracial Islam’s do not support that kind of behavior.

WC:V401

https://www.allaboutreligion.org/islam-vs-christianity-faq.htm

Blog 4

The over-arching philosophy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War is to use intellect rather than force. “Ultimate excellence lies/ Not in winning/Every battle/But in defeating the enemy/ Without ever fighting. / The highest form of warfare/ Is to attack/ Strategy itself”. Tzu’s believes mental intelligence is a more vital skill than physical strength in war. In fact, a physical fight should not be the first resort, or to be resorted to at all. The philosophy of this book understands and respects that to win a war is more than death. Instead, it is careful strategic planning with consideration for the enemy.
The Naval Academy emulates Sun Tzu’s ideas presented in the book. As future leaders of our Nation’s sailors and marines, intellect is highly valued. We focus on building our intelligence to be capable war-fighters in all scenarios. Our strength relies on our preparedness and allows us to become better officers. We are forced to think about all scenarios and think of how we can best defeat the enemy. We also do not forget about the physical mission. At the academy, we do our best to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead. We are taught to not control our emotions. A leader has control over the welfare of his troops. “Victory belongs to the side/ That scores most/ In the temple calculations/ Before battle.” While defeat is those who score lower in calculations. Tzu does not allow pride to weaken troops. “If equally matched, / Fight it out; / If fewer in number, / Lie low;/ If weaker, / Escape.” Though escaping is usually recognized as a sign of weakness, the author points out that it is ok. It is smarter to evade the enemy when one recognizes itself as weak. It is better to gather troops and organize a fair fight. It is recognized that having a fair fight was highly values, today it is not like that. Our enemies do not hold the same values we do, but that does not mean we need to stoop to their level. The U.S. military continues to follow a high ethical code.
I think between the different service communities they are all well balanced in our readiness for the future. Though the emphasis between communities differs, intellect is held in high regard. The Naval Academy follows Sun Tzu’s Art of War through our careful, well thought out curriculum and leadership opportunities.

WC: 401

Uganda and Severan Dynasty

Power is what many strive for, especially the power to rule one’s own country. The struggle of power causes political turmoil and civilization unrest. This often leads to deaths among civilians and government officials alike. Much like finding a stable administrative regime, the country of Uganda was a country that was ravished with instability and hardships. Uganda was held under British control until its independence in 1962. Under the British, non- Africans were not allowed to fully own land. However, following the new formed independent status, the country experienced a military coup in 1971 which followed the Severan dynasty of military autocracy. General Idi Amin Dada ruled with extreme brutal authoritarianism. Similar to the Severan model it was an increase on autocracy based on military power. The new formed government was not followed, instead the loyalty of the troops were appreciated. Another similarity to the model is Amin being a General followed the unspoken rule of an emperor being a warrior.

Though Amin was not an emperor, he did declare himself president for life. A difference between the above mentioned model and the history of the Ugandan government was expelling of Asian and Jewish communities. “Public order rapidly deteriorated, and murder, destruction of property, looting and rape became hallmarks of the regime. Amin declared himself President-for-life…” That did not last for long and he escaped the country in 1979. Dr. Obote replaced the former president but was ran out of office by Uganda National Liberation Army in another military coup.

“To some, Uganda is the hope of Africa, the ascendancy of black power, an example to the world of true militancy, a nation struggling against the spectre of fearless and tireless General. To model of others Uganda has become a a black-water, a nation regressing into a feudal state, led by a group of corrupt and degenerate soldiers…”(Africa Today). The country was divided into four kingdoms which was similar to the Diocletian model.

The past can inform us of the issues facing nation-states today going through similar crises by educating ourselves on what caused those nation-states to fail. The past is an important tool to learn from especially when it comes to ruling of a country. When it comes to ruling the Severan Dynasty is not the best model to follow. The military should not be the ones ruling a country because when conflict arises, violent military action ensues. I picked the country Uganda after the visit of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to Uganda even though President Museveni has strict anti-homosexuality laws which are enforced through an authoritarian regime.

Alexandra Butler word count: 431

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4185297

http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/uganda/history

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45834730

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107906

Athenian vs American Democracy

I believe the Athenian form of government is greater than American democracy. American democracy represents the people of the United States. On November 6th, 2018, United States citizens have a right to vote for whom they want to represent them. Each state has a certain number of delegates based on the population, this is so the American people can be fairly represented in Washington D.C. However, when voting for President, the electoral system and the popular vote do not always constitute the same result. There have been times when a president has lost the popular vote but still won because of the electoral system.
In the Athenian government, the citizens of Athens were not always represented for what they wanted, but instead for the needs of the country as a whole. The Athenian official government positions were shared among all the citizens and it did not require advances training to run the meetings (“Models of Democracy: 6 Models”). “Any citizen could speak to the assembly and vote on decisions by simply holding up their hands. The majority won the day and the decision was final. Nine presidents (proedroi), elected by lot and holding the office one time only, organized the proceedings and assessed the voting”( “Athenian Democracy”). The Athenians focused on equality for all people and held the law above everything else. Since Athens focused heavily on equality, all citizens were able to be included in the decision and rulemaking process. When I write all citizens, I mean all male citizens. The Athenians also believed in “Ruling and being ruled in turn” (“Models of Democracy:6 Models), it was equality based solely on numbers. There was a checks and balances system to make sure the government did not get too powerful and to stand for equal representation.
I believe to make policy and decisions for one’s country, one should be thoroughly educated and for the people. They must be fit for the job. It should not be based on one’s own personal agenda. With the Supreme Court case of Brett Kavanagh, it is clear that there are political motives behind the case, rather than a fair trial. “As we have seen, only male citizens who were 18 years or over could speak (at least in theory) and vote in the assembly, whilst the positions such as magistrates and jurors were limited to those over 30 years of age. Therefore, women, slaves, and resident foreigners (metoikoi) were excluded from the political process” (Athenian Democracy).
I do not like the fact that women do not have a say in the Athenian government, but in this day and age, they do. Based on the reasons I have done above, I still believe the Athenian democracy is a better way to govern than the direct American model.

Sources:

http://www.politicalsciencenotes.com/democracy/models-of-democracy-6-models/835

https://www.ancient.eu/Athenian_Democracy/

Ancient History in Modern Media: Percy Jackson

Most of the Percy Jackson series is not what people would consider historically accurate, but it does give a great interpretation of ancient Greek Mythology. Author Rick Riordan thought of this series when his son asked for bedtime stories. After running out of myths to tell, Riordan thought of new ways to incorporate stories that his son would love. Though they are not the same, the books rely heavily on Greek mythology. The main character, Percy is considered a half-blood meaning half Greek God and half human. Percy, is the son of Poseidon, one of the most powerful gods. During his high school years, Percy attends a camp that teaches half-blooded children necessary skills for survival. While the antagonists in many of these books tend to be ancient gods there is also the disgraced half-blood who seeks revenge. Some other differences are the half-blood camp which is not depicted in any Greek mythology as well as the Lotus Hotel that Percy gets trapped at. There was Perseus, who was the son of Zeus. He was cast away when he was just a baby and remained stuck on an island ruled by Polydectes. The ruler was in love with Perseus’s mother and did not like the son. Polydectes thought if he made Perseus get the head of the Gorgon Medusa then he would die and thus not be present at the wedding. However, Perseus succeeded and became a hero.

This story brought into speculation if there was any relation between Perseus and Percy. They are both cunning young men with very powerful fathers. Their high status attracted many enemies. The accuracy between the ancient world culture’s and this book are many. The series includes the infamous Minotaur, Medusa, the three Furies. Having Greek mythology shown in a relatively easy book to read definitely draws interest on where the inspiration came from. Personally, I was interested in what the strengths and weaknesses of these gods had after reading the series. I wondered what other stories were out there about ordinary people taking on these beings of great power.

Source: http://rickriordan.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/