The American Hellene
The last hope for Western Civilization!
Admittedly, that’s a claim from deep right field! But stay with me on this; we need to venture into the weeds a bit so you’ll understand why the claim is valid.
To understand why the American Hellene is Western Civilization’s salvation, we must first clarify what an American Hellene is. And before we can do that, we must agree on the definition of a plain, unmodified Hellene.
Merriam-Webster (M-W), regularly reminding us of their establishment in 1828, defines Hellene in a single word: Greek. Their analytics indicate that Hellene ranks in the bottom 20% of word popularity, with its first known use dating back to 1662. If you don’t find it strange that a term describing a civilization dating back to pre-history was first recorded in the 17th century, there is no need to continue reading.
But alas, M-W beckons us to click on the definition of Greek, which provides its definitions: 1a: a native or inhabitant of ancient or modern Greece; or b: a person of Greek descent. Again, M-W suggests that the etymology of Greek reaches back in time as follows: Middle English Greke, from Old English Grēca, from Latin Graecus, from Greek Graikos. M-W places Greek in the bottom 30% of word popularity and notes its first use was in the 14th century A.D.— for a civilization that existed around a thousand years earlier than the 14th century B.C. What does M-W think they were called before the Middle Ages?
While we may refer to it as the country of Greece, that has never been its name. It has always been Ellas or Ellada (Ελλάδα), and its people were Ellines (Eλληνες). The Anglicized version is Hellenes. The problem is that a Hellene is not necessarily a Greek person. The classical Greek philosophers described a Hellene not merely as a person of Greek origin or blood but as someone capable of speaking Greek. Their contention was based on the fact that, at the time, the Greek language was the language of educated individuals. The Greek philosophers valued education highly and believed it could civilize those they defined as barbarians, who were considered uncivilized.
While there were undoubtedly Greeks who identified as Hellenes, there were also Greeks who did not and non-Greeks who were considered Hellenes. A more accurate definition of a Hellene is ‘one who believes in the humanist notions of truth, freedom, beauty, and excellence, first contemplated during the classical period of ancient Greece, which formed the basis for what would evolve into what is known as Western Civilization.’
However, there is an issue. Our dictionaries state that humanism is ‘an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.’ Similar to philhellene and Hellenism, the definition of humanism can be misleading. While it is true that classical Greece placed an obsessive emphasis on the ideal human form and character, there was never a notion of prioritizing the human over the divine. The divine was acknowledged as superior to humans. I apologize for venturing into such detail!
Perhaps a more recent analogy will help. In the aftermath of 9/11, across America and, to a lesser extent, the Western world, there was a dramatic metamorphosis of the human spirit. People came together as a community, seeking to share, help, and mourn with strangers. The all-too-common traits of selfishness and avarice nearly disappeared as people went to the aid and welfare of their fellow humans. Some even walked away from successful careers to join the military and do their part to protect the freedom that is America. This sense of ‘all for one and one for all’ was freely felt and exchanged, making us feel good about ourselves. Of course, time and complacency have eroded that feeling, and the world has slipped back into its primitive, barbaric form.
The same euphoric sense of community embodied the spirit and imagination that blossomed in ancient Greece. The mind turned away from barbarism to embrace and appreciate fundamentally sound concepts. Indeed, truth, freedom, beauty, and excellence qualify as good in all but a diseased mind. When one thinks in these terms, it is not a stretch to imagine that outsiders who have yet to embrace goodness and virtue would seek to overpower those infected by this humanist virus. As we all know, Rome was able to conquer Greece. But then, a strange thing happened: Rome embraced and adopted everything Greek. So much so that they copied everything Greek and gave them Roman names— the Greek gods, art, literature, mathematics, philosophy and science. Suddenly, the world had its first taste of Western civilization— a world that appreciates truth, freedom, beauty, and excellence.
The civilization of the Roman Empire was Greek— not Italian. However, the Romans failed to embrace the simplicity of truth, freedom, beauty, and excellence. In every aspect, the Romans added ornaments and embellishments to escape the simplicity that beauty embodies in its natural form. Over time, these ornaments and embellishments became the focus. After the 6th century A.D., Hellenism all but disappeared from the West for a thousand years. It briefly returned during the Renaissance but has since been dying a slow death of complacency. Not so in the Greek world. Early on, the Greeks made these notions an essential component of their culture- a culture that has survived and prevailed among its people to this day. That’s not to say that the Greeks do not have their fair share of scoundrels. All cultures harbor individuals whose character weaknesses draw them toward arrogance, corruption, and greed.
Modern Greeks, or as they refer to themselves, Hellenes, grow up in a culture steeped in the notions of truth, freedom, beauty, and excellence— what embodies the essence of Hellenism. Consequently, those Hellenes growing up in America have received a double dose of Hellenism. Our founding fathers recognized the nature of Hellenism and applied these same principles in establishing our Constitution. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough Hellenic Americans to preserve our way of life before it vanishes for a third time.
And that brings us to the essential concept of the American Hellene. An American Hellene is an individual who, despite not growing up immersed in Hellenism, has sought to learn about, understand, and embrace the principles that first civilized the world. These Americans are some of our society's most essential and valuable citizens, as they truly grasp the essence of Hellenism. More importantly, they must broaden their ranks by educating those around them so that Hellenism can influence the world and, for a third time, overcome the barbarity that precedes it.
The American Hellene— the incredible human variation that is the last hope for the survival of Western Civilization.
