Human Spirit - on Steroids

We have arrived in Skopje, capital of Macedonia... population of 2.5 million... independent nation since 1991... conspicuously friendless during the 20 century. The story tonight is how a fierce human spirit (perhaps national spirit) can survive healthy and positive after a century of abuse where every nation on earth has turned its back on injustice and persecution of a small nation.

Another history lesson is unavoidable at this time... so let's make it quick. The ethnic group of Macedonian people occupied the Balkan peninsula in Neolithic times. Very early in time, Slavic peoples moved into the peninsula and have assimilated with Macedonian people. Macedonian people claim a heroic ancient history... culminating in Alexander the Great's domination of the known world around 400 BC. Of course, the Greeks will claim ownership of Alexander... after all, he was born in Pella, now part of Greece. The Macedonian people retort that if you asked Alexander who he was, he would reply that he was King of Macedonia... a kingdom with most of its land mass contained within the current boundaries of Macedonia. But 20th century history has not been kind to Macedonia... in fact it has been given the rough end of the stick with each 'real-political' carve-up that occurred in that century.

Please stick with the history for just a little longer. During the long Otterman occupation, Macedonia struggled to free its larger historic borders... and received retribution for its efforts. When the Ottomans walked away from the Balkan Peninsula in 1912, the world powers wanted to establish a Greek nation that was durable. They achieved this result by taking from Macedonia a sea port and its richest agricultural areas. Why did they do this? Who knows... perhaps they thought the Greek history more romantic than the Macedonian history. But this decision has given Macedonia a century of grief. It was left in a weakened (perhaps unsustainable) state. All its neighbours sniped at its boundaries... trying to sneak a bit of extra territory while no one was watching. Neighbours could smell 'blood in the water' and wanted their share of the spoils.

Enough of history... history that doesn't show any of the major powers of the 20th century in a good light.

I'm worked up about this history because Joye and I have just returned from visiting the Museum of Macedonian Independence... a purpose built showcase that the Macedonian people have constructed to ensure the world does not forget their history. It's a museum like no other we have visited. Entry is available with an escorting guide. Each room is spotlighted. On the floor stand wax figures (think of Madame Tussaud but more life like) in scenes depicting historical meetings, massacres, battles, etc. You walk between the figures. They are so life-like that they catch you unawares. Wall-size paintings have been commissioned from the same group of artists... the effect is stunning. There is enough factual evidence shown with each scene to open your mind to the possibility of its accuracy. The whole story has so many chapters all illustrating how neighbours and world powers just abused Macedonia... the poor country has been friendless for a century.

There is no happy ending so far. However, recent history is promising. Since it was given its independence in 1991, the number of deaths from military action has been very small. (No one has counted that number for the 20th century... but our guide guessed it would likely exceed one-million.

An earthquake levelled the middle of Skopje in 1963, and the Tito's communist regime didn't restore the area. Upon independence in 1991, the Macedonians designed a central area for Skopje that displayed its glorious history. In 2013, the city centre is now taking shape and it's most impressive.

Macedonia's agonising history may have caused many other people to give up. The period of suffering is so long and the proportion of the population killed is so high. But the Macedonians are a determined lot. They have satisfied the requirements set by the EU for membership... but Greece continues to object to the country being named 'Macedonia'. Before they agreed not to veto the application for membership, they wanted agreement that it will be called 'FYROM' namely, Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. What a joke! I love the Greeks... but this demand is ridiculous!

Why was Alexander the Great’s Empire so Durable?

We started today with a visit to the ruins at Pella... the capital of Alexander the Great's empire that makes the organisation of Roman Empire look like a rabble! Do you remember Pella from your school-day history? I don't! The archaeologists are on the job and finding an ancient city of enormous proportions (relatively speaking). Our great grandchildren will soon have to submit a Pella paper in order to get the HSC... it will become so important!

Alex's dad (Phillip II) was a big thinker. He ruled an empire just a little bigger than Greece... and had strategic trading partners of about the same size again. But he said, "Fellas, we need to build a trading centre that will dominate the whole known world. To do that, we need..." and he rattled off the prerequisites for a healthy ecosystem... security... convenience... efficiency... trust... etc, etc. To realise his plan, he knew he needed a new capital... on a safe harbour... with broad straight roads to allow efficient moving of produce... he needed a market with lots of traders, organised into industry sectors, and all competing for the best possible deals... he needed prestige housing built to very high engineering standards... he needed plenty of water and excellent drainage... he needed administration quarters that could overlook the whole market... he needed monuments and pleasure domes to impress the visiting plebs. That's what he needed and we started today with a visit to the ruins of what he built. His capital stretched 2.5 klms in a North/South direction and 1.5 klms in an East/West direction. All this was built in the 4th century BC... when Rome was being overrun by the peasants of Gaul.

In the years prior to his death, Philip II was growing the business quite successfully... using salesmanship, charm and monopoly tactics to gain additional trading partners. Old age caught up with Phillip II and he died a hero of the Macedonian people. Alexander stepped up and displayed the impatience of youth. He liked a good fight at any rate... but he figured charm was not the only way to get new clients. And he was right.

Have you ever wondered how Alexander consolidated his newly won cities? He left Pella with a pretty small group and recruited along the way. But the number of trusted lieutenants he had to leave behind in each conquered city were few and far between. If some trumped-up local was left in charge, why didn't he set up his own arrangements when Alexander had travelled 1,000 on to the next battle? The reason probably had something to do with the ecosystem Alexander was able to arrange for them. They didn't want to rebel against Alexander because he left them the promise of life in easy street... a way to sell their special produce to the world through a trading centre that was unbelievably good!

How did a 30 year old manage to campaign his way through a hundred different kingdoms without losing a battle? Was he that much better at war than big Julie (Caesar)? Did he have some secret military tactic he pulled out of the hat... battle after battle? One theory is that Alexander raced into a new territory and scared the life out of ill-prepared opponents. Then Alexander would withdraw and say, "Now that I have your attention, here's a little business proposition I want to present to you". His secret weapon was the extraordinary trading floor his father built for him. Mark my words... the history of Alexander will be rewritten... he will cease to be the world's greatest soldier... he will become the world's greatest marketer!

So ends our Greek odyssey... tomorrow we tackle the Balkans.

Where Aristotle taught Alexander Morals and Ethics

Alexander the Great had the best teachers of his day. Who better to teach morals and ethics than the wise man himself... Aristotle! Subsequently, in his conquering of the ancient world, Alexander showed that he may not have been paying full attention to Aristotle on some important topics such as genocide, debauchery, and lying. Today, we saw the spot where Aristotle delivered those lectures.. and the problem becomes immediately apparent. It's the most beautiful spot... large volumes of fresh water bubbling down the hillside... shaded valleys of Beech trees... a paradise even today. No wonder Alex had problems concentrating on the topic. Such beauty is distracting. The message didn't get through. The world could have been saved hundreds of thousands of war dead, if Aristotle had just given a little more thought to where he delivered his lectures. What's wrong with the old schoolroom back in Eddessa ?

To his credit, Alexander the Great knew how to bury his relatives. He buried his father (the famous Phillip II) and family under a great 'Tumulas' (hills of earth depicting Macedonian burial sites) in life size temples filled with treasures. Some of the temples were raided but when the site was thoroughly excavated in the 1980's they found a couple intact. In presenting the site, the museum left the temple doors in place and the tumulas in place. All the treasures are displayed outside the doors of the temple from which they were found. This is the best museum we have visited. It looks most unassuming from the outside... but once underground, it transports you back to the period of Alexander.

Threat to Greek's Tourist Industry

We drove around northern Greece this morning... gradually making our way to Bulgaria and the Balkans stage of our tour. The weather appeared similar to other days... a cold night with scattered cloud... not much wind... and a sunny day. But what had been a minor irritation during the previous week, shaped up as a major problem. Today, the air quality was atrocious!

We are in Greece, not the most industrialised countries around. When we were in Crete, the story was that high winds had picked up dust from the Sahara desert and dumped it on the islands. At the time, I bought that story... today, I think the problem may be more endemic. Hopefully, the air movements today have been unusual in trapping pollution close to a large mountain range. The people we have asked say that the quality is worse than usual, but cannot explain why today is so bad. The risk is that the day is fast approaching when Europeans will holiday in destinations that deliver clean air... I guess this is already happening to some extent. No one could enjoy the drive we had today with visibility limited to 5 klm and the colour drained from every scene. (Australian... keep your clean air!)

We drove past Mt. Olympus (or so our map indicated). The photo is shown below after the usual processing steps to clean up the air. Poor old Zeus, Apollo, Athena and the other good gods would be turning over in their graves at the lack of visibility from their lofty mountain over their beautiful country.

On the positive side, we are staying in a lovely country villa in the hills outside Thessaloniki... a hotel called Ktima Kalaitzi. Joye found the place off the web.... it is extra nice... an alpine feel... sitting isolated on a hill overlooking the regional centre of Vergina... magnificent setting... lovely hosts. The nearest town, Veria, where we had dinner, has a medieval Jewish quarter with unusual architecture... another lovely town just oozing history.

Lets hope the remaining three days in Greece meet the standards set by the previous three weeks... and that today was a 'once off' dud day.

Lets Brush-up our understanding of Religious Piety

We have just done three monasteries by walking ten kilometres and climbing 500 metres. Piety was never my 'long suit'... but after this morning's effort, I'll never be better placed. So here are some words of caution.

Firstly, a few of you place too much reliance on rationality and the scientific method. Please note:

"Rationality is an excessive confidence in our powers of reason, it s elevation to the supreme and absolute value. In essence, it is a form of disbelief, lack of faith. It is not a simple sin, but a sinful state of mind, a sinful view of life. Rationalism is the most typical and the most evil manifestation of pride, concealed beneath all our other sins, latent in all our actions, poisoning all our good deeds, leading to an absolute belief in the supremacy of the self and finally to the inability to repent - thereby closing the door of divine mercy. "

Now don't say you haven't been told. These thoughts have been ruminating for some time... but today, in the Holy Monastery of the Great Meteoron (the transfiguration of our saviour) we saw a card in the chapel saying these exact thoughts! When rationality and science do not back up your assertions it's always handy to label rationality a sin... and the most evil manifestation of pride.

Rationality may say that building monasteries accessible only by rope ladders may not be a good idea. But, now that we know rationality is the most evil manifestation of pride... its OK... let's go ahead and build it anyhow.

The walk from our hotel up to the monasteries was labelled (indelicately) by Lonely Planet as' bum numbing'. Indelicate it may be... but also accurate. The height was not the main issue. The path was first made in the 12th century... and little maintenance has been made subsequently. The loose gravel meant that each step up was sacrificed by half a step slip back down the slope. Still, for us pious types, the hardship only made the spiritual rewards greater. If the rationality of such an equation escapes you... get a hold of yourself.. you may be suffering the most evil manifestation of pride.

This area is the top tourist destination in Greece. Meteoro gets this title against competition from Delphi, Olympia and the islands. Not bad going!

Don't Like Your Neighbours? Follow this Example

We're in a place called Kastraki... next to a group of rocks called 'Meteora'... in central mainland Greece. Monasteries were built at the top of volcanic fissures of hardened sedimentary rock (where pressure from tectonic plates was greatest). Weathering over the millennia, has removed the softer sedimentary rock... leaving the hardened fissures poking out making an unusual landscape. The first monasteries were only accessible by rope ladders and later by being pulled up in a net. Nervous visitors, when asked if they would like to be lifted in the net, often asked, "How often do you change the rope?" "Only after the good Lord lets it break" was the reply... an answer that wouldn't have settled the nerves.

After the Turks had their day, the monks could think of no good reason to rejoin the community in the valley. A number of the monasteries are still operating. Joye had to slip a wrap-around dress over her jeans to visit.

So, if you are having problems with your neighbours, do something about it... like the good monks of Kastraki. There remains a good number of fissure tops not yet built upon... but you had better hurry... they are eroding quickly.

We'll spend tomorrow having a good look around here. First appearances indicate it is spectacular. Not yet convinced to join the monastic order. The one we visited today looked pretty quiet... and I don't think they would get very good wi-fi reception.

Neat Business Model - be an Oracle

What can Delphi teach us about running a good business? A lot!

Picture a beautiful blue eyed virgin sitting in front of a cave high up near the mountain peak. She is the oracle... no worldly experience... sweet and innocent. The fixers have to change girls regularly... because the girls get bored... and run off with the good looking customers. The 'fixers' behind the scenes invite leaders to visit from all the city states. These politicians all want to know how glorious will be their legacy. By appointment only, the politician is seated before the oracle... "How glorious will be my memory?"... no difficulty in anticipating the question. Now the poor young virgin has been drugged. She can no longer speak coherently. But the client is told that is because she is in another world conversing with the great god Apollo. A priest is needed to interpret the words of the oracle. (The priest is one of the fixers.) He has a string of words well chosen for vagueness and ambiguity." Your face will launch one thousand ships! "... that sort of thing. Always some words were included to ensure a proper payment was made."If you donate one year's worth of your earnings, your face will launch one thousand ships."

I like the tale of Alexander the Great. He visited Delphi (during the time Macedonia ruled the region). He sat before the oracle and asked, "Will I ever be defeated? " The fixers must have thought they were on a big earner with this client. They tried to milk the visit by creating some psychology pressure. The oracle mumbled some psychedelic mumbo jumbo... that was interpreted by the priest as, "The answer to your question will be revealed tomorrow". Apparently, young Alex wasn't satisfied with the answer. He grabbed the oracle by the hair and dragged her towards the edge of the cave. The oracle... not used to such pain yelled out, "Stop... stop... OK... you'll never be defeated!" "Thank you ", says young Alex," That was the answer I wanted".

Just one simple confidence trick lead to 1000 years of undreamed wealth pouring into Delphi. Quickly, they built a temple for the oracle to work her magic. This was replaced by a bigger temple and yet again, by a bigger one still. Each city state had their own 'treasury' building on site, jam packed with the world's best art. Earthquakes would damage the site and the fixers would spread the word that Apollo expressed his displeasure at the measly offerings from the city states... they were told to lift their game.

It would seem that the business model still works today. All the other historical sites we have visited have been as empty as the catholic churches in Athens. But Delphi... today we had to queue to look at the fallen down stones and jerry built replicas.

If you are seeking a more prosperous business model, change to being in the 'oracle' business. Some of you are well ahead of the game... and already charge exorbitant fees for foretelling the future. Just ask Doug and Barry how their businesses are going.