If it had been possible to rate this book six-star or even seven-star, I would have done it, definitely. Actually, reading Love, Sex, Marriage in Ancient Greece by Nikos A. Vrissimtzis is like being projected into life in archaic, classic, and Hellenistic Greece. It looks like reliving those eras!
Nikos A. Vrissimtzis describes the habits of the ancient Greeks in a simple way, and upholds his narrative with detailed reference to Greek literature and archaeological finds. Superb is his narration about symposiums where hetaeras took part. They were prostitutes of high rank, learned and above all of extraordinary beauty. Even Pericles fell in love with one of them, called Aspasia, and had a child from her.
Some commonplaces are debunked. There is no evidence that the famous poet Saffo was a lesbian. In my opinion she can be considered as the archetype of modern feminism.
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
THE THREE CORNERSTONES OF THE FRANCISCAN RULE
![saint-francis-20753906[1]](https://ettoregrillo.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/saint-francis-207539061.jpg?w=700)
Only now can I understand the three cornerstones of the Franciscan rule, which are poverty, chastity, and obedience. In fact, to fully love your neighbor, you must get rid of your sexual urges, covetousness, and desire to take the lead. Only when you free yourself from these three hindrances can you start loving. The Franciscan habit has not changed today, and it differs from that of other monastic orders. As it was at the time of Saint Francis, the frock is girdled with a cord with three knots to symbolize the three main vows of a Franciscan friar.
My ex-friend would object, “Don’t censure sex, because life is born by sex. If everybody followed your recommendation to practice abstinence, humanity would become extinct. Saint Francis’s rule is just as absurd and utopian as the new humanism that I dream of. In fact, not only is chastity nonsense, but obedience is also impossible. Think for a minute about what it would be like if everybody practiced obedience. There would be no leaders to obey!”
“The giver of life is God and not sex!” I would answer. “Life was born before sex. God’s love and the vibrations of his voice created the universe, human beings included. As for obedience, I say to you that leaders also obey, just not their subordinates. It all depends on what your idea of leadership is. Kings and subjects are not different in the way they obey. If you consider leadership not as an arbitrary act but a service to others, you will see that leaders also cannot shirk their duty of obedience.”
This is an excerpt from A Hidden Sicilian History by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo
MY REVIEW OF LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER
The story of this book is quite simple but rich in meaning. Lady Chatterley is the wife of a disabled nobleman, the owner of a coal mine. He is paralyzed and can move only by wheelchair. He is a good businessman and also a lover of literature. But he cannot have sex.
Do you think a beautiful young woman can resist the lure of sex?
The background of the book is a mine coal. Colliers’ lives seem to be gloomy, but there is no choice. It is not possible to change society! The colliery is the only resource. They have to accept reality as it is, otherwise, they would die of starvation.
In this dismal environment, Lady Chatterley becomes the lover of her husband’s gamekeeper and gets pregnant. Is there love between them?
The final part of the book seems to show that love is different from sex. Lady Chatterley’s lover sends her a letter. He writes, “Now is the time to be chaste, it is so good to be chaste, like a river of cool water in my soul.” Maybe real love doesn’t need sex, even though it is an irresistible natural instinct. What is true love?
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
Ettore Grillo's Blog 