Prologue
I've been watching College Football because it's the "Bowl Season" and the teams are evenly matched, affording Justice in a metered way . These are young Men -- an "Early Man" so to speak , Individuals who manifest their Fate, Karma and Destiny by engaging in Combat Sport . During one play instance, this arrived, "Arete" . Arete is a Greek word and translates [for some] as "Virtue" and [for Scholarly Others], "Personal Excellence" .
I extracted the following passages from Kitto's, The Greeks -- a 'required reading' for Dr. Ward's "Ancient Greece " Class , {which I had to petition in order to gain entry} .
The Soul of the Homeric Hero
What moves him to deeds of Heroism is not a sense of Duty as we understand it - Duty towards others ; it is rather Duty towards himself . (my italics)
Arete inplies a respect for Wholeness or Oneness of Life, and a consequent dislike of specialization . It implies a contempt for efficiency -- or rather a much higher idea of efficiency : an efficiency which exists not in one department of Life, but Life itself .
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