Repeated History

Years ago, many years ago, I learned (and probably miss-remember) the story of Pericles convincing the citizens of Athens to abandon the countryside and gather in the defended city during their war with Sparta. Pericles established a new thought, that the community that was Athens was independent of its physical lands.

So this morning at breakfast a new resident was being schooled about the two advantages of living where my mom lives. The security found in both supplied support, like emergency pull cords and the responsibility the residents carry for each other. Most of the residents, including the newbie had moved out of private real estate to enter this community. Then I remembered the "cruise ship (noro)virus" that sweep through the facility last year landing both my parents in the hospital.

An interesting problem. The fullest expression of our humanity is released when we gather together. That, in turn, stresses the bodies we inhabit. And despite our increased level of control over our physical environment, the plague of Athens keeps returning.

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