Farewell to good writing

Well, for one reason or another I decided to start blogging.

Truth be told, I was inspired by my friend Brett. Granted, I've written several abortive semi-blogs; my old website, for example, those annoying notes on Facebook - even an NBA blog mostly in praise of Lebron James.

But I suppose this is different. This is more direct, more open, and hopefully more regular. And, again, in part inspired by gentle Brett. Brett, whose blogs condemning the proletariat or Larry King significantly raised my spirits after a night of heavy drinking. Brett, who revealed the significance of everyday, ordinary thoughts.

My thanks, Brett.

On to other things.

I've been thinking of Alcibiades lately. Beware: I have no clue where this line of thought will lead, so if I stumble across something moronic . . . hang in there.

Alcibiades was a wily Greek who eloquently convinced his compatriots to invade Syracuse. Nicias, a general, disagreed. Alcibiades was to command the expedition, yet the night before he set sail he beheaded a series of statues renowned for their ability to bestow good luck. Controversy marked his departure; when he arrived at Syracuse, a ship overtook his fleet with the news that he would face trial.

Who commanded the doomed conquest of Syracuse? None other than Nicias.

You've got to wonder whether the Athenian invasion succeeded or failed because Alcibiades, in a fit of drunken idiocy, decided those statues would look better headless. Alcibiades was as brilliant a general as he was an orator; his presence, no doubt, would have transformed an expedition renowned for its incompetence. Ever cautious, poor Nicias never stood a chance. And the price was high: 40,000 lost for Athens, and then the empire, and then the Peloponessian war, and then democracy itself.

All because of reckless general's drunken whim.

It's strange how actions shape history in a way the actors rarely understand. I'm not sure if Alcibiades would have particularly cared; from the sources, it seems he'd have downed that wine regardless. But it's a little unsettling that the smallest decisions - will I take another glass? - can change reality. And it's not just for the great: a servant bought the wine, another served it, and of course far down the line someone decided that a vineyard would do well astride the Athenian polis.

Strange because I'm always thinking about how I can reach a position in life in which I'm able to make a real difference - what that means exactly can be a subject for future entries. How darkly ironic, then, that random chance so often decides the course of events. Ironic, also, that often the lowliest people play as great a role as those possessed of real power. Ultimately, perhaps none of us have real power over our actions - or historical footprints.

Just a thought. When you study history you often remember snippets from the past and apply them haphazardly to your own life. They're almost like flashbacks, and to some degree they shape how you view the present. For me they're never remembered with perfect clarity, and so I wonder how my mind shapes what's remembered and ignored. Is memory altered by how and when we choose to access it, or has a memory been permanently shaped at the time of its construction? Is memory subconsciously or consciously assembled?

Probably both.

Anyway, I'm really quite keen to get away from this line of thought. In spite of the temporary title for this page - or whatever it is - I think future blogs will focus less on philosophical meanderings and more on everyday events.