Ideas in Antiquity Week 8
Following last week’s work and its’ striking resemblance to Hamilton, I was able to continue to learn something new about myself. The Normal Heart was all about understanding the bad parts and examples of things that could go wrong when using the wrong type of leadership. This week’s reading, being the Education of Cyrus, allowed me to learn about others and the different examples of leadership. So let’s begin, shall we?
Cyrus the Great, who was the founder of the first Persian Empire, served as an example of a great leader yet carried bad qualities as well. He served as a real-life example of the character Ned from the Normal Heart in my eyes. Both of the men have a good heart with huge amounts of ambition but the way they rule is their biggest issue. Cyrus ruled his people through fear and the utter terror he made people feel. He was so good at scaring people that he woke up his servant’s desire to please him. I found this way of ruling to be quite interesting.
I’ve always found the action of manipulation fascinating. As someone who has grown up and worked in various environments, I’ve seen manipulation almost everywhere. Whether it was me manipulating my sisters into doing small things for me or witnessing cases where small acts of manipulation led up to brutal murders, I too have been a Cyrus (and Ned) in order to get what I wanted. I have found that looks and behaviors, specifically the treatment of others, have been key factors when it comes to wanting to manipulate others. Not everyone is built to be a leader which often leads to people being taken advantage of. There are people who aren’t meant to be the pretty face or the strong voice in the group. If everyone had to lead, this world would be a mess where nothing effective would get done.
Unfortunately, not choosing to lead makes it easier to follow someone who either cannot properly address the needs of the group or is too selfish/arrogant to do the right thing. But doing what’s right can also lead to destruction at times. For example, Cyrus. Cyrus was a great man who worked hard to build a legacy while being feared by others (just like Alexander Hamilton). He conquered, ruled, bought, and added many nations in order to build an empire filled with diversity, a little bit of freedom, and devoted to his strict Persian upbringing. Though his actions benefitted people, he did not do them selflessly as he often endured harsh labor and put himself in danger just for praise and kleos (glory).
That part of his leadership to me made him lose at least five brownie points in my book. Selflessness to me is important not only for leadership but for humanity as well. Although there are people who perform better and have a love language of words of affirmation, it’s still important to know where to draw the line. Being a leader to me shouldn’t be about the attention or clout. A true leader is someone who cares more about the well being of the people they intend to serve. It’s okay to want recognition for your hard work but serving others does not always and should not require a shiny prize.
Cyrus was too wrapped up in being the center of attention than being a truly “good leader.” His childhood may be to blame for this. Born to a bloodline with royalty on both sides, he grew up getting everything he could have possibly wanted. His silver spoon continued to stay in his mouth when he moved in with his grandfather Astyages. In order to get him to stay though, Astyages used and eventually taught Cyrus something he would grow up to use quite often: bribery. Bribery is an effective tool in the box of manipulation. It’s used all over for little babies and even presidential elections (Russia, you ain’t slick sis). Money always has and I strongly believe always will rule the world. And it sure helped with Cyrus’ development/upbringing.
Astyages opened the Pandora box of corrupt leadership for his grandson through his term of conditions. He bribed Cyrus to stay in Medes by allowing him the following: any animals/possessions he wanted, dinner choice, and the ability to learn about and kill any animals he wanted. Being spoiled didn’t help Cyrus grow into the great leader he could have been. He grew up to make friends through bribery and using his grandfather until his well ran dry. Cyrus was one who excelled by standing on the backs of others to do so. He never got to do anything by himself which only made him worse. A strong example of these effects on his leadership was the Assyrian Incident in his teenage years.
So let me tell y’all what his fool went and did…
When he was around 15 or 16, he decided to help his friend get food for his wedding. Since his friend, who was the son of the Assyrian King, wanted fresh meat, they all decided to go hunting. They were doing their thang or whatever when things quickly turned left. Word got back to his grandfather that there were enemies on their soil so they responded accordingly. The only problem was, Astyages wanted Cyrus by his side but we all know how that goes. Cyrus of course decided to be stubborn and disobey his grandfather’s request.
Cyrus gave his grandfather some war advice and he sadly accepted. The idea itself, being that the men should charge at the enemy to scare them off, was not bad but it was more of a “who said it” type of ordeal. Astyages accepted and allowed Cyrus to go help. Cyrus, who at the moment was feeling himself, decided to take lead. It’s good to be heard but what isn’t good as a leader is not listening to others and taking things over when you don’t have the right experience. This is exactly what Cyrus did too but everyone knew that part was coming. He took his leadership role too far and instead of thinking of a plan like before, he recklessly just kept pushing forward and putting his life in danger.
The only thing that saved his life that day was pure luck (and his grandfather of course). They ended up being victorious by killing and taking many of their enemies as prisoners. But not every victory is one that should be celebrated. While Cyrus and everyone else sat there and gloated over the dead bodies, Astyages was PISSED. Reading this, I immediately thought of the face my mother makes when she’s mad. And chile…. that look a Jamaican woman makes when she’s about to set it off is one that is not to be played with. They do not play and just thinking about it now makes my heart start racing. I was scared for Cyrus just reading this but knowing how spoiled he is, I doubted anything would even happen.
And that’s the biggest problem in this story. Cyrus is wayyyyy too spoiled which is why he behaves the way he does. He gets excited and takes things too far without thinking ahead of all the things that could happen. If the Medes army had not been strong, Cyrus could have easily been harmed, taken prisoner, or been the first of the men to die. This incident reminded me of Ned. Cyrus needs to go check out my journal from last week and take some of my advice. He may be smart but like my mother says “there’s a difference between book smart and just plain ole’ common sense, use that big head of yours for good.”
That leads me to my final points, the different examples of leadership. According to this story, there are three different types of people you want to be leading you. They are known as the characters of judgment, or “phronesis” in Greek terms.
- The Ship’s Captain. A ship captain to me is one who needs plenty of experience in their field and needs to be quick on their feet. When it comes to sailing on the seas, things can quickly turn left. There can be other enemies on the sea or a storm like the one in the bible that aims for nothing but pure destruction. Either way, this person is one who must be able to work well with their crew and be the symbol of bravery. This person must not show any fear but also must understand that teamwork makes the dream work. Everyone on the crew has their own roles so as long as no one is dominating someone else’s role, the trip will be smooth. I feel that this, metaphorically, relates to me. Now, I’m not driving any type of boat and I’m surely not jumping into any ocean but I’ll still be like a ship captain. I feel that my best leadership is through this role. I am someone who likes to fix people’s sea of problems (see what I did there) and am able to keep calm in most situations. Unless it’s a bug/any type of small animal, then I’m running and you’re on your own. But besides that, I am someone who likes to be in charge while still working with others. I can’t do everything by myself but I sure can lead a team. Next, we have the…
- The Physician. This type of leader is one who is skilled and tends to be a loner. They rarely like interruptions and are often perfectionists. After all, entering someone’s body to fix a problem is not something that you can mess up in. They must have high levels of knowledge, focus, and be completely sure in their decisions. These leaders tend to be on the quiet side but can step up to the plate with nothing but pure confidence.
- The Guide. This person is the literal king of Wisdom. They must have a lot of knowledge yet be very neutral. They are the ones who will help you when you need them but won’t be there 25/8. They can lead you to wherever you need to go while teaching you valuable lessons on the way. These characters are the best mentors. They have the best resources and tend to be very good networkers as they can build relationships with pretty much anyone. I feel that if Ned and Cyrus had better guides, they could have been amazing leaders who would have gotten things done in a timely fashion.
Sadly, we can’t change every story. Yet maybe that’s a good thing. True leaders can’t be everyone and their mother so all we must do is learn from everyone and apply that to ourselves. Knowing this, I’m excited for next week. I love Ida B. Wells and can’t wait to get to reading!
Peace out people.
