Chapter 14 2. Beyond the mountains is the sea

The Greeks, Plato said, were "the ants and the frogs around the pond." This pond is called the Aegean Sea. The Aegean Sea is the mother of the Greeks.She created the Greeks like Aphrodite (Venus) from the foam of the sea.In Europe, no other region has such a long and winding coastline, and so many islands, as Greece.Standing on the top of any mountain in Greece, what you will see will be the vast sea under the blue sky and white clouds, stretching as far as the eye can see. This is a world of freedom and freedom without restraint. Such an open vision is heart-opening.What's more, there are warm sunshine in winter and cool trade winds in summer, which at least guarantees that they will have no problem holding citizens' meetings in the open square.

There was only one thing God didn't give them - fertile soil.The hillsides of Greece are barren, the soil is barren, and in many places barren.What is suitable for growth is mainly vines and olive trees; what is suitable for production is wine and olive oil, and the clay pots that hold them.These products can easily be turned into commodities and trafficked to Egypt, Persia, Macedonia and other places in exchange for the food, timber and daily necessities they need. So the Greek said: Well, let's sail! Sailing is free travel.Before the invention of the glider and the parachute, sailing was without a doubt the greatest experience of freedom, responsibility and rationality.In sailing, any rash and irresponsible misconduct may lead to the catastrophe of being buried in the belly of a fish.There has always been a spirit of freedom and reason in Greek civilization, please don't forget the role of navigation.

And colonization and commerce. Colonization and business are also the Greeks' forte.According to statistics, from the 8th century BC to the 6th century BC, more than 40 city-states participated in the colonization, and there were more than 130 derived city-states, as many as the islands in the Aegean Sea.Their common feature is "small country with few people". For example, the city-state of Ozina is only 100 square kilometers.But these "little ones" are not afraid of power.In 492 BC, King Darius of Persia asked all the Greek states to surrender, and the diplomatic rhetoric was "contribute water and soil".As a result, the imperial envoy was thrown into the abyss in Athens and into a well in Sparta.The Greeks said: If you want water and soil, get it yourself!

Next, the Greeks defeated the strong with the weak in Marathon and Salami, and defeated the Persian army armed to the teeth twice.The lovely Smurf finally defeated Gargamel, which proves once again what kind of power the spirit of freedom will transform into once it is mastered by free people. Those who are truly free must also be truly independent.An important feature of the Greek city-state system and colonial enterprise is "independence".Regardless of the relationship between these large and small city-states, whether it is "brothers", "friends", or "mother and son"; and no matter what kind of political system they choose, whether it is "democracy", "oligarchy" or "nobility". "Politics", they all act independently and act on their own.No one can override these city-states, even if they are only nominally "co-lords of the world".

In Greece, there is no "Son of Zhou". In fact, one of the important reasons why the Greeks were so keen on colonization was to want independence.In other words, if a large family of a tribe or city-state is overpopulated, those who are relatively low status and unwilling to be marginalized "Naughty and mischievous elements" who are degraded and low-level will choose to leave their hometowns and set up their own businesses.Their attitude is also very clear: if the colonization succeeds, they will fight against each other; if they fail, they would rather go to the "barbaric countries" (Egypt and Persia) to work as mercenaries or wage earners than come back to be the "phoenix tail".

Independence and freedom are more important than prosperity and wealth. This is the son of the sea, the Greeks.Sailing allowed them to experience freedom, and colonization taught them independence.So what is the point of doing business? Learn to be equal.