"We Have Won"

A clock hanging on a wall to my left informs me that it is now 1:57 p.m, here in Houston, Texas, and a quick calculation in my mind reveals that it is 2:57 p.m Boston, Massachusetts. Right now Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the person apprehended for the Boston Marathon bombing, is sedated and unable to speak. He is still in serious condition, but is stable; which is crucial for there are a million questions that only he can answer at this point. How were the bombs made? Did he receive any training? Were he and his brother acting alone or as a part of a group? And, of course, the ever crucial question, why? What motivated him and his brother to do what they have done? Was it religion (Islamic fundamentalism)? Was it politics (Chechen nationalism)? Was it economics (lack of money and/or opportunities)? Or was it all of the above? Three people lost their lives in the bombing, another during a gun battle on the MIT campus. Their deaths demand answers; their families deserve it. However, as I mentioned earlier, the only person who can provide these answers is currently sedated, and I have no desire to engage in speculation right now. Instead, I would like to share my thoughts about what happened in Boston last Monday. Not surprisingly, a closer look reveals that what happened in Boston last Monday was actually yet another example of an act that has taken place several times before throughout the course of history.

It is 2:22 p.m now in Houston; 3:22 p.m in Boston.

When Pierre de Coubertin set about reviving the Olympics, his primary motivation was the promotion of international peace. When the Greeks held the Games during ancient times, a sacred truce was enforced amongst the nations that participated. Might a modern Olympics not have a similar effect? Also, could the Olympics not be used to promote understanding across cultures, and thereby, lessen the dangers of war? Along with de Coubertin, the initiators and organizers of the modern Olympics began selecting the events that would be incorporated into the Games. What they specifically had in mind were events that reflected the glory of Ancient Greece. This is where Michel Breal steps in and suggests an event does precisely that – a long-distance running event that commemorates the fabled run of the messenger Pheidippides to announce the victory of the Greeks over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon.

It is now 2:45 p.m in Houston and 3:45 p.m in Boston.

The reason why this specific battle was chosen to demonstrate the glory of Ancient Greece is quite clear. The Ancient Greeks could not have been more different than the Ancient Persians. Persia was an empire, ruled by an Emperor, and her inhabitants, his subjects; his wish was their command. The city-states of Greece, on the other hand, were mostly republics, inhabited by citizens who had rights and freedoms of their own; if they had a grievance with the way their city-states were being run, they had the option to walk straight into the Assembly and state their problems. Of course, Greece did have the institution of slavery, but so did Persia; but unlike the Persians, the Greeks debated over this institution, with some claiming that not only was it necessary but also natural, while others – most prominently the Stoics – calling it an abomination. Greece was a haven for individuals and citizens, for rights and freedom. If there was a “leader of the free world” during ancient times, it was Greece; if there was a “land of the free” during that time, it was Greece.

3:16 p.m in Houston; 4:16 p.m in Boston.

It is easy, therefore, to understand exactly what was at stake when ten thousand Greek soldiers volunteered – yes; “volunteered” – to defend their nations, their democracy, their freedom, against a tyrannical empire which showed up at the plains of Marathon in the form of a hundred thousand Persian soldiers. Ten thousand citizens against a hundred thousand subjects. Their victory proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Citizens cannot be subjugated subjects; that those who love Freedom will place their lives on the line in order to protect it; and that whenever Liberty is threatened – whoever the foe; whatever the cause – someone will always be there to defend it. Whether it is by defeating an army, or whether it is by rushing to the aid of those who have been wounded by a terrorist attack, someone will always be there. This is what happened at Marathon; this what happened at Lexington; this is what happened in Boston last Monday; and this is what will always happen whenever someone tries to threaten those who love Freedom.

I do not know what motivated the Tsarnaev Brothers to do what they did, but I do know, with no doubts in my mind, that the flames of Liberty can never be extinguished.

It is 3:36 p.m now in Houston, Texas; 4:36 p.m in Boston, Massachusetts; and 11:36 p.m in Athens, Greece. 

Yes, Pheidippides; 

Nenikikamen; 

And we always will.