October 2020 - The Acropolitan Magazine

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

As we set off into a post-lockdown world, amidst the challenges and obstacles of the past several months, glorious tales of selfless everyday heroes have emerged across the globe, inviting us to celebrate the human spirit, the indomitable human potential to reach for goodness and altruism. These were perhaps a glimpse of a different paradigm of human civilization, rising not through legislation of economic, ecological, or policy regulations, but by reviving timeless human values, our most sacred and ancient treasure.

Let the inner dignity and courage of a Samurai Warrior become our prized armor with which to face the uncertain times which lie ahead. Grace and discipline might characterize our approach in this seemingly new dance of life. While perseverance and responsibility, as of an ecologist, might reveal the sincerity of our resilience.

As the illuminating fireflies announce the arrival of a nourishing monsoon, and the wolf’s howl invites the silver light of the moon to kiss the Earth, so too perhaps it is the time for philosophers and idealists to sound the clarion, rekindling hope in the innermost recesses of the heart.

Let us dare to Discover our inner strength, Awaken to the opportunity of our times, and Transform our world.

ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

Living The Samurai Myth

October 1, 2020

By Shraddha Shetty

The word Samurai originally meant ‘those who serve’, although individuals of this elite warrior class in medieval Japan were also referred to as Bushi, or warrior. And Bushido was the code of morality which the Samurai were meant to follow, not just in battle, but also in day-to-day activity. Speaking of this code in his book Bushido: The Soul of Japan, which is widely considered to be an authority on the subject, Nitobe says that it was not written down anywhere, but had organically formed over centuries.

Oct2020-Act Diary of a Struggling Ecologist

A Diary of a Struggling Ecologist

October 1, 2020

By Ubai Husein

This journey started with my love for food, which prompted me to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts. There, in addition to simply cooking, I was introduced to the various aspects about growing and producing food before it enters the kitchen, including the entire mechanism of factory farming and the resulting destruction caused to the environment. Fortunately, I was also introduced to the other end of the spectrum: Organic farming and SLOW foods (Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wholesome) and the whole stratosphere of environmental issues,

The Noble Spirit of Competition

October 1, 2020

By Markus Edin

With the 2020 Olympic Games being cancelled we may seize the opportunity to reconnect with the spirit of this most famous and prestigious sporting event. For it has not always existed in the format we know it today, the ancient Olympics serving a vastly different purpose than the modern day Olympic Games.

Just how far back they date is a matter of debate but most sources agree that the first Olympics of the ancient world took place in 776 BCE

From Obstacle to Opportunity

October 1, 2020

By Gilad Sommer

The year was 65 AD, a little less than a hundred years after the assassination of Julius Caesar and the foundation of the Roman Empire. Musonius Rufus, the foremost Stoic philosopher of his times, known by some as the “Roman Socrates”, was accused by emperor Nero to have participated in a conspiracy against him, and was exiled to a tiny and desolate Greek island called Gyaros.

Gyaros was considered a terrible place to be. Fifty years earlier the then emperor Tiberius, who wasn’t known for his charitable nature, refused to send a traitor to exile there, saying it was too harsh and devoid of human culture.

The Dance of Life

October 1, 2020

By Trishya Screwvala

Dance is a universal language that transcends geography and time; it is a means to express sentiments that cannot be captured in words. Although forms of dance differ across cultures, the aspiration of a true dancer always seems to remain the same – to assimilate and internalize principles of beauty, harmony and grace through movement and form, thereby escorting the audience to experience and discover these very same archetypes that lie latent within each individual.

Post-lockdown Values?

October 1, 2020

By Sabine Leitner

“There are decades where nothing happens – and there are weeks where decades happen.” This Lenin quote might sum up how many of us feel regarding the events of 2020. Not that nothing happened before – in my view the last few decades contained quite a lot of events on a mega scale – but the changes triggered by COVID-19 have been unprecedented. As some countries are gradually coming out of complete lockdown, the paramount question is: where do we go from here?