And virtue perishes with them as well.” -- Plato
Atlantis: Fact or Fiction
The lost civilization of Atlantis.., has been discussed, debated and dreamt about in wonderment by the average joe, scholars, scientists, adventure seekers.., and some of the most brilliant minds ever to have walked the planet… The myth -- the legend of Atlantis has intrigued us all.., and at the same time, left us only with questions…
From Sir Francis Bacon, to the father of myth himself -- Plato, have speculated on it's existence… World famous psychic Edgar Cayce predicted it would be uncovered in the late 1960's, while mystic Madame Blavatsky spent years in Tibet studying about the fabled civilization of Atlantis…
Countless books and seriously researched studies, to movies -- even animated, have been made about this storied land for centuries…
So Where Is (Was) It…
Santorini to Sicily, Malta to Turkey, Morocco to the Canary Islands, the Black Sea to the North Sea.., and even Great Britain to Ireland -- and the list goes on… But as more and more theories of where Atlantis was located.., or even it's existence, we move further and further away from Plato's version, where Atlantis loses the favor of the Gods and is submerged in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean…
But many scholars thoroughly believe that Plato's version of Atlantis -- is completely fictional.., whipped-up to serve his political views… Yet, this is the first documentation we have on Atlantis -- a fictional story to serve one mans views -- hmmm… So, once we decide to place the location of Atlantis anywhere else other than the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.., we have to completely discard Plato's version.
One of the latest discoveries that point to the existence of Atlantis a few anchors that were discovered off the coast of southern Spain… These anchors could be 3-4 thousand years old, implying that large ships were docking and sailing that long ago… Also, rock carvings of a horse and a boat sinking were found in the same area. But does the discovery of a few Bronze Age artifacts point to the lost civilization of Atlantis (quite the stretch), of course having James Cameron's name attached to this project doesn't hurt.
Atlantis The Myth The Legend
Its fun to fantasize about the existence of a utopian civilization that existed about 9000 years ago.., where it's inhabitants were half God half Human, that dominated the seas… The domain of the God Poseidon built for the love of a mortal woman. An island of exotic animals filled with gold and precious metals -- it is what fantasies are made of… But while many continue to theorize and search for this fabled city.., what is lost and almost forgotten is the story…
Many scholars believe that Plato's writings on Atlantis were a sort of analogy of Athens -- that Athens should not turn it's back on the Gods… And what I believe makes the myth of Atlantis timeless, is the story itself -- the morals and themes are truly timeless and extremely relevant today… A highly advanced society that becomes petty, greedy.., morally bankrupt, basically. And pisses off the Gods, for screwing up such sweet deal -- screwing up utopia!
"There should exist among the citizens neither extreme poverty nor again excessive wealth, for both are productive of great evil." -- Plato
Plato wrote about this mythical place over 2,300 years ago, yet it is scary how many parallels there are to our present day… As the world seems to thrive on greed.., and the pursuit of more and more… As it uses religion and war to suit it immoral needs.., and panders to the masses in pursuit of more power in order to control. It could be the greatest fable ever told.., and it might as well have been in the last few years...
While many people have tried to change certain parts of Plato's Atlantis to fit their theory on where Atlantis was located… Unfortunately, you can't really claim to have discovered Plato's Atlantis.., and change crucial parts of the story just to fit your findings… What happens with all these different theories and "slanting" of the story.., is that it becomes almost like a ghost story, making it less likely to believe that Atlantis ever existed.., but the principle of it's story will live on forever!
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