Poul Anderson makes an intelligent guess:
"...most people in the ancient world were more or less fatalistic. Events to come might work out for the better instead of the worst. Undoubtedly many a mind was occupied with how to make an extra profit from the situation." (p. 49)
(The situation being invasion and imminent siege.)
The gambler's philosophy:
"This year, the Jade Emperor's turn. Next year, mine."
When the future was uncertain at work, we received some professional pep talks/morale boosts etc. Someone said that most of what we worry about does not happen and that what does happen would have happened anyway. That helps, I think.
I have also read that the lowest social strata welcome news of war because war means change and, for them, any change can only be for the better! (Experience might contradict this but, before experience, there is hope.)
Ancient fatalism expresses a lot of experience and wisdom. Nowadays there is more knowledge to hand. We can try to gain a better collective understanding and grasp of events.
4 comments:
Actually, war meant famine, enslavement, rape and burning.
Yes. The source that I was quoting was referring to more modern times when there were some hopes of improvement - as well as a lot of disappointment and disillusionment.
Kaor, Paul!
And if there's ever going to be any hope of seeing less "famine, enslavement, rape, and burning," we first need to have no tom fool illusions about human beings. It's back to the wisdom of Flavius Vegetius: "If you want peace prepare for war."
Ad astra! Sean
Disagree.
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