One notion of living in the modern world that’s been forgotten by men is the notion that man as beast in nature. Man as beast is something inconceivable to us. Men are supposed to be above nature now. We’re the guardians of nature, charged with its continued survival. The Greeks knew better. Homer’s Iliad stands apart from all other ancient and religious texts in this respect.
The Iliad stands as the best text to study if you want to know about human nature and man as beast in nature. Modernity and leftoid thought had done a number on our psyche to convince us as that somehow men conquered nature— we’re on a different path now. This mode of thought must be crushed. If you don’t understand human nature and the natural order, you’re doomed to the slaughterhouse as a nobody. No one will remember your name. You’ll do nothing of worth. I can’t understate this enough.
What makes The Iliad so powerful is it gives a fair account of human nature. Homer presents men as men, not some infallible gods or goodly superheroes. For every powerful act a hero does in the book, Homer relates it back to nature, from something he witnessed. The Greeks identified they were just as part of nature as any lion or any sheep. Like any beast in nature, they were trying to survive and the great texts they passed on from generation to generation was meant to tell their youth what qualities they needed to develop to become strong. These were qualities valued by the Ancient Greeks.
The Iliad showed how heroes strived for honor and did everything possible to avoid shame. The warlords of the armies constantly questioned their men’s resolve—to keep the desire to flee at bay. It took a heroic man to stand strong in a shield wall. The pull of cowardice was always there and in ancient warfare, terror induced routs. Honor and shame were what motivated men to do great things. The Greeks weren’t a guilt based culture like we are today. The guilt didn’t come until after Christianity.
Man as beast is something you must return to. The re-savaging of men to their primal selves is the most important issue of our time. (Yes, it’s not identity politics.) The longer you buy into the lie of modernity, the more risk you put yourself into in the future. The Ancient Greeks saw city-states come and go like the seasons. They had to foster in their men the virtues that would help them survive. Strength, courage, and honor were all necessary.
Man as beast helped the Greeks see mankind’s terrible qualities. To prepare them for life. The Iliad is full of gore, but not just gore. Each time a hero was slain, there was a fight for his armor. They looted the bodies right on the battlefield. Not only that, they would mutilate the deceased if they had caused them some kind of offense.
More, you get to learn the real differences between the sexes. The conquered women were taken into the enemy camp as slaves and would-be wives. You hear about the story of Briseis, who was captured by Achilles before the start of the Iliad. As she mourns over the death of Patroclus, you find out that Patroclus comforted her as Achilles killed her husband and promised her Achilles hand in marriage afterwards. Yes, that’s right. The real world is not a nice place. The women of conquered peoples were often taken by the conquerors.
In nature, man is stronger than woman. It’s only laws that make us general. But, it’s better to see men and women as compliments to each other. While men were stronger, their lives meant less than a woman’s. This is why the men, the old, and children of a conquered people were often killed, but the women were taken into the enemy tribe. Women are the key to a tribe’s future. No children equals no future. A man is just nature’s plaything, entirely expendable.
I encourage everywhere to read the Iliad. It’s your best unbiased chance at getting a look at real human nature.
It’s not unbiased in that these were the real accounts of what happened at Troy, no, these were the virtues of the ancient Greeks. What Homer was trying to do was instill the right virtues into future generations so they would survive as his own did. Again, during these times city-states came and went like the seasons. Some were conquered, others died by other reasons. These virtues as said by Homer were what they believed necessary to survive in nature.
Maybe the actions of these heroes weren’t based in reality, maybe they were. You still get the best account of life during the Bronze Age as well as the virtues the people of the time found important. Take the time to understand the Iliad and you’ll get a better idea of how to get ahead in life. Anyone curious about human nature must read Homer.