My Greco-Roman Experience

After I got home from the trip I rented the movie, Eat, Pray, Love. Julia Roberts' character made a profound statement while experiencing the ruins in Italy. She said, "ruins are the road to transformation." It hit me that my trip to Greece and Rome had been decided after a very tragic time in my life. I love ancient history, and I have always wanted to travel to the places that I have read so much about. This trip was just one small bit of my regeneration. Even though the ancient ruins we saw were just remnants of the grand buildings they use to be, they are still there for all to see. They stand in the midst of modern buildings, and the locals live their lives around them everyday. They are like Middle Eastern standing stones - reminders to the locals of their heritage and a spirit of perseverance. This made me think of my daughter's grave stone in a different way. It is no longer a sign of the destruction that took place, but it will forever be a reminder of my strength and fortitude.

My Greco-Roman experience is something much more than tourist sights, good food, and travel to someplace new. It is a beginning to my future and the transformation that is taking place in my life. History and literature are very dear to my heart, and standing in the places that I have studied so much about, for so long, is indescribable. My worldview does not change, but it is expanded. An experience like that cannot be fulfilling, in fact it leaves me hungry for much more. Every night the Feifers, my husband, and I would go out to a local cafe' for coffee and sit for an hour or more just talking. I can honestly say that it was among the most enjoyable parts of the trip. A time to just sit and visit - a time to wind down after a hectic day. I call it taking a little bit of Greece with us where every we go.

The greatest influence that the Greco-Roman culture has had on Western ideology is literature. Literature is a transmitter of culture, and as long as we read and reference these works we are influenced by the authors' thoughts and ways of life. I feel very fortunate to have these works to read and enjoy. The depth of their thinking and the breadth of their knowledge is impressive. I am humbled by their intelligence.

The last experience I wish to share is about Delphi. Standing on the side of the mountain in the midst of the ruins of that ancient holy city, I felt for just a few moments what they must have felt. They did not have electronics, electricity, or the sounds of modern life assaulting them from all sides. They lived simple lives compared to us, and because of that they were able to see the magnificence of the natural world. The beauty of that place was astounding. I could not even begin to describe it, and my pictures could not fully capture it. The center of the world - the navel. The most holy place in all the world to the Greek people. They could see the design and order that most of us fail to see. We might call them fools for believing in myths and tall-tales, but are we not as foolish to believe in the maker of those myths and tales?

Deanna Braggs

(I am submitting this without images, because I cannot get it to work. I will continue working on it, and see if I can add them later. I was running out of time.)