Joel Christensen
Dialogue –
The terrible logic of imperialism: Might makes right
In the first few days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Mayor of Knox County Tennessee and former professional wrestler, Glenn Jacobs, tweeted in response to public concern, “Historically, …
Dialogue –
Ancient Greeks also suffered poor leadership during plagues
In the United States February’s final week saw nearly 2000 deaths a day from COVID and yet local governments and the CDC have moved to aggressively roll back mitigating measures. …
At the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, ancient Greece and Rome can tell us a lot about the links between collective trauma and going to war
On the outskirts of Grapevine, Texas, a town about 5 miles northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, there’s a memorial dedicated to the 33 airline flight crew members who …
Life –
What Greek epics taught me about the special relationship between fathers and sons
As a scholar of ancient Greek poetry, I find myself reflecting on two of the most powerful paternal moments in Greek literature. At the end of Homer’s classic poem, “The …
What Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ can teach us about reentering the world after a year of isolation
In the ancient Greek epic “The Odyssey,” Homer’s hero, Odysseus, describes the wild land of the Cyclops as a place where people don’t gather together in public, where each person …
Dialogue –
What the Greek classics tell us about grief and the importance of mourning the dead
Months since the start of the coronavirus crisis, our ability to mourn and process death remains disrupted due to the ever-present fear of the threat of the coronavirus and the …
Life –
Plagues follow bad leadership in ancient Greek tales
In the fifth century BC, the playwright Sophocles begins Oedipus Tyrannos with the title character struggling to identify the cause of a plague striking his city, Thebes. (Spoiler alert: It’s his …