政治への期待イコール国民の自立
昨日アレキサンドロス大王の本を読み終えた。なぜ10年間も遠征し、戦ったのか。それはアレキサンドロス大王に従っていれば、達成できないことは何もないと兵士たちが感じていたからに相違ない。アレキサンドロス大王の魅力は第一に可能性への信頼であろう。ギリシャからインドまでのアジアの半分を手中にしたアレキサンドロスは、可能性を信ずることは自分自身をどこまでも信ずること、自分自身を中心に立てこの世界を信ずること、これらの可能性への信頼を持っていた。また2つ目に、常に将兵と暮らし、戦っていたことも見過ごせない。昨日の政治番組では小泉新総裁に関することが殆どであったが、新聞によっては高杉晋作との共通点を挙げるところもあった。BSやCSで海外の評価を見聞きすると、いずれも日本で特に永田町で周囲が変人扱いしていたことの愚を述べ、日本国民同様期待を寄せる論調となっている。政治を信頼しようとする気持ちがマスメディアも含め、広く日本に満ちてきたが、まだ日本国民の間には甘えがあるのも事実であろう。アレキサンドロスの父君フィリッポスのマケドニアがギリシャを統治する前、紀元前5世紀の後半にペリグリスが登場、ペリグリスのときデロス同盟の宗主アテーナイは空前の繁栄を誇った。ペリグリスは大統領に就任したときつぎのように言った。「美を愛して贅沢に走らず。知を愛して軟弱に陥らない毅然とした性格を身に付け、富を何かをなすための手段とはするが決して富に溺れず。貧しさを恥とはしないけれど、貧しさを克服する努力をしないことを恥じる。自分と同様ポリスのために心を遣い、いつも国の在り方を考え社会に背を向け、閑暇を楽しむ人を決して優雅な人間などとは思わず、ただ無益な人とみなす。」ケネディやブレアが何かを引き出そうとするのではなく、自分に何ができるか考え行動しようという演説のおおもとにあるのがこのペリグリスである。
Hope for the Government and Independence of a NationI completed reading a book about Alexander the Great last evening. I wondered why Alexander could make such a long expedition to fight leading a numerous number of officers and men. Firstly, it might be because the officers and men felt that they would never lose as long as they followed him. Alexander the Great believed in possibilities. He, getting almost half areas from Greece to India in Asia in his hands, always believed himself and his world putting himself at the centre of it. Secondly, you should not miss the fact that he used to live with officers and men all through the fights. Most of political TV programmes last evening were about the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party. Some of them mentioned the common points between Mr. Koizumi and Takasugi Shinsaku, who was one of the remarkable samurai warriors in the end of Edo era. According to BS TV programme, the press comments were that it was so nonsense for politicians around Mr. Koizumi to be so critical of him and dealt with him as if he was an odd man out. The press seemed to have high expectation for him as a nation does. The tendency to trust the government has been spreading among the Japanese including mass communications. However, it can not be denied that the Japanese are still much dependent on the government.
Before the fact that Makedonia, governed by Philippos, who is Alexander's father, put Greece under the control, the suzerain of the Delian League, Athenai, made Greece the most prosperous in the Perkles era. One day when Perkles was on the throne, he said, " Don't be indulged in luxury, but love beauty and intellect to acquire to be tough minded. Don't be drown in wealth, but take advantage of wealth to achieve somthing. Don't be ashamed of poverty, but be ashamed of not trying to get over poverty. Always take care of the polis as well as yourself. Don't regard people who enjoy time to spare as grace, but regard them as futility.
2001/04/30 磯村信夫
