COM 295 ::
:: i haven't even read the excerpt yet, and i already know more than half of them are morons ::

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--Saturday, August 30, 2008 3:55:58 PM EDT
I believe the Greek Mythos differs dramatically from our American Mythos. For instance, while the Mythos of the ancient Greeks stressed the importance of achieving "arete" or excellence in all areas of life, the Mythos of Americans only seems to stress the importance of excellence in a specific field of study, so as to gain employment in the that field, make money, and live a good life.

--Tuesday, September 2, 2008 10:45:11 AM EDT
I agree with your statements and think that you make good and valid points. You also get to the points quickly. Today's simplicity is not what it was defined as before.

--Tuesday, September 2, 2008 9:19:46 PM EDT
America is a system created by the christian religion of living under one god. We put most of our values in knowledge instead of physical strength like ancient Greeks. To be able to move up in out society you must go to college to become sombody. Everything is set in a certain system. We were all raised with these certain standards that need to be met. While knowledge is important I beleive that there is more to life than knowledge such as phyical well-being. In America people seem to think that money can create happiness. While money may help, money is nothing you don't have love and no one knows love till they experience it themselfs. If isn't something to be learned from a book.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 12:21:15 AM EDT
I agree with what everyone has said above me...
American and Greek, both, have a very different view on excellence. During the Greek Era, excellence was more than a detail in someones life. To them it could define a life, like Odysseus and his adventures. Whereas, Americans today view excellence to be a good grade, a prefect outfit, the taste from a meal, etc. Today excellence is many small details in a life and to the Greeks excellence was what made their life whole. To them and that era, it was the bigger picture in life, not the details about the past night.
When you look at life today verses then, life seems ordinary at times. But the Greeks would not allow for ordinary life, they tried for better...they tried for the overall excellence.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 2:41:30 PM EDT
I hold the same ideas as much of the rest of the class.
The Common American Mythos is the system of success. Simply put, from the time we were little in most cases were taught the extreme value of education and how important it is to have one. Parents' shuttle is off to school every day in hopes of preparing us for college and one day in the near future a job so we can provide a good life for ourselves and our family (the American dream). Yet this differs from the Greeks mythos which valued education as well, but stressed the importance of learning life lessons exemplified in such stories like Narcissus and Echo, and Zeus and so on. The Greeks understood that it was not possible for one to learn everything they needed to know from a book, life was a good teacher as well.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 3:26:41 PM EDT
A lot has been said on the common American mythos, which I do believe seems very structured and manufactored ie. going to college to get a good job. However for me atleast there is more to it. I dont want to just succeed I want to look back and see that I have made a contribution to society. This belief and others I find exist outside of the American mythos, however just because they arent used in this society to define success doesnt mean they have no merit.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 6:44:40 PM EDT
I think our common American mythos often relates wealth and power like many others have said. Many put their priorities first and foremost in money. All though some would like to say faith and family is first, it seems as though money and power often overrides the previous two. It is not only about higher education, although this is important. As a nation, I don't think someone that takes over a family business with no college degree is looked down on, furthermore, a wealthy business owner is most likely put on a pedestal than say a teacher or writer with a masters degree. Money seems to be the American mythos. I would say that my personal mythos rank in order of faith first, and then family. However, as an American, I have this idea of wealth, and power and success that is a hard barrier to come up against.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 11:07:03 PM EDT
I very much agree with everyone that posted. Especially on how our American mythos seems to be parallel with wealth and power. Along with that the education of ourselves and our children. It seems that these days the only way to get wealth and power, we need to be be educated or at least have a piece of paper that says we are educated. It is hard to say that I believe this should be true, but as of now I know it is true in our society today. I also think faith and family deserve to be number one, but if we let that happen, it seems we would fall behind our "real" American mythos.

--Wednesday, September 3, 2008 11:33:18 PM EDT
I had a hard time thinking about what could be a common set of beliefs among all Americans. I'm not sure there is one, because we all seem to be so different and diverse, but that in itself may be the American mythos. I think that as Americans we hold strength and individualism with high regard. Take, for example, the "American Dream". The "American Dream" is to make something of yourself and be powerful and strong, persevering despite obstacles, to set yourself apart. So then I would say that the American arete, or excellence, is to make something of yourself, starting from the ground up, and using you're own strength and talents to become powerful. Even though Americans come from various backgrounds, cultures, religions, etc, I think the American Dream is a value we commonly hold.
Personally, my mythos is a little different. Although I do want to become something and possess some type of power or wealth and get a good job, something much stronger than all of that and stronger than me has set my values and beliefs in place. Power and wealth are only my goals as an American, or as a college student. My goal as a person is simply to love. To love God, to love others, and lastly to love myself. That is the greatest and most excellent thing I could do in life, and when I'm gone, I don't want people to remember me as a rich sucessful woman, but rather a loving, faithful one.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8

--Thursday, September 4, 2008 12:12:27 AM EDT
Well.... In my opinion, our common american mythos is not far off of the Greeks lasting idea of "excellence". We are all pushed towards "excellence" from day one, and if we should find ourselves falling short, there usually is someone right there to let you know. Our own ideas of excellence may be different than the others, but there is definitely a standard that we inherently know ( common sense) or figure out along the way. Our mythos is spelled out for us from society, the rest comes from family, values, beliefs, self..ect. I believe that the American mythos is the same for all on some level. We all want to recieve/give love, have a partner in life, have family and friends to rely on and share good times with, money to be abundant enough to pay the bills and maybe some extra for frivolous items that make us happy for the moment, and to be successfull enough to make ourselves and/or whomever it is in our lives that is pushing us proud. That is how I feel in a nut shell about my own mythos as well. I just want to live up to the b.s. norms of society so at some point I can feel " free" and be independent. It all falls back on making money in the grand scheme of things... there isn't alot that you can do without it, but there are some things in life... some parts of the American "Mythos" that doesn't require money like love and family ... so were not completely screwed yet...
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eesh.

1 screamed | i am afraid