The new trend "We are all Greek" is really not something new, in fact the whole world has been tpuched by Hellenism, or as Romans said "Greek" and they don't even know it. Hellenism means Hellenic Culture, and Hellenization means the spread of this culture, including the language, so as to mix with other cultures. This has already happened since our forefathers spread Hellenism far and wide allowing all forms of life, including sciences, poetry, drama, theater, politics, art, democracy, philosophy, religion, etc., to embrace it. Hellenism is the artists, philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, scholars, writers, poets, orators, architects, theologians, historians, sophists, playwrights, athletes, Spartan and Macedonian Kings, Athenian politicians, generals, Alexander the Great, Pyrros of Molossians, Philip of Macedonia, Leonidas of Sparta, Thermopile, Marathon, Salamis, Alexandria in Egypt, Parthenon, Socrates, Plato, Aristotelis, Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid kings of Syria, Bactria, Athens, Thebes, Sparta, Syracuse, holly Delphi, holly Olympus with all its Gods and Zeus above all is just to name same names for all are next to impossible to name.
But does this mean that everyone is an Hellene? And does it mean that everyone who is born in Greece is an Hellene? Well... Alexander the Great had raised this question some 2300 years ago. Paraphrasing his speech at Opis in Mesopotamia, Alexander said that not all Hellenes deserve the title of a Hellene but many non-Greeks qualify very well by their knowledge and attitude. For all of us to qualify for the noble title, we must hold the points discussed bellow as the ideal targets, and must demand excellence from ourselves and of our respective leadership in the quality of living. Then we can confidently say we are good human beings because we value:
- Philomatheia - love of learning
- Philotimia - love of honor, honor-bound, dignity, pride, and having a clean name or reputation
- Philoxenia - love of being hospitable, especially to strangers and the needy
- Philophronesis - love of prudence and common sense;
- Philanthropia--Philantropy, Love of mankind
- Adelphotes- a great Hellenic Fraternity for Hellenes and Phil-Hellenes alike;
- Agape Zoes - - Zest for Life, the Eu Zen;
- Agape-- I was born not to hate but to love says the great Sophocles, to be repeated later, amplified and further interpreted by the Deity of Christendom.
The above characteristics form the character of a true Hellene and Phil-Hellene.Everything that is contrary to these elements is non-Hellene. Simple as that!
Here arre some books for your reading pleasure and learning!
- "Hellenic History" by Botsford and Robinson, and
- "The Greek struggle for Independence" by Douglas Dakin.
- " Plato. The Man and his Work" by A.Taylor.
- Regarding the origin of New Greeks, " Politics and Statecraft in the Kingdom of Greece 1833-1843" by John Petropoulos.
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