A Guest Post by Euthymia Kalogera
Dear all, we are about to celebrate the H24H project’s first anniversary. There is so much to remember and so difficult to express with words my feelings. So I went back in time with the help of technology of course, and there it is:
March 13, 2013
WELCOME TO CB22x, ‘THE ANCIENT GREEK HERO’
The project is live as of 5:00am EDT on March 13, 2013. You can find the first installment of CB22x, entitled Hour 0, under the Courseware tab above.
The textbooks for the project are now available here on the website, free of charge. They are located at the far right of the main navigation menu at the top of the page. Additionally, an update to the content was made shortly before launch. Please scroll down on this page to see a post about that update.
Once again, welcome to ‘The Ancient Greek Hero.’ We’re so glad you’re joining us!
–CB22x Team
Unique experiences: the videos, our professors’ enthusiasm, Claudia’s supportive presence, the readings, the discussions and… the QSs and the CRs with those horrible RED Xs we had to struggle with! We did learn slow reading in the end, didn’t we?
We were divided in Cohorts. I was a member of the Briseis Cohort in the beginning as were most of us, but then I was moved to the Cohort of the hero Pelops. The Briseis Cohort was the most lively though. I found a way to enter to it through a virtual “door” that Dominique, a fellow participant, left open in a general discussion topic. Fortunately during the course the borders disappeared and all the Cohorts united. If only this was possible in the real world!
We encouraged each other in the study of the ancient texts, we shared our thoughts, our feelings, life events, joys and sorrows… These are my memories in iambic meter as they were posted in the end of the CB22x:
The hora came and now it’s time, for me to say good-bye,
The journey was wonderful, the Captain was inspiring,
the whole crew were marvelous, I won’t ever forget them.
I took some notes and I want to share them with my classmates:
We met Homeric heroes, Achilles and Odysseus,
who taught us about heroism, its meaning and its price.
Bravery’s a choice, not a fate, intelligence and patience
are needed for a safe return, if someone lost his way.
The hurricane “Anonymous” troubled us at this point
and many posts were lost, ah me, without any sema.
The weather soon improved a lot, the journey continued:
A war’s a real tragedy, it separates people.
Revenge leads to a new revenge, it’s not an act of justice.
Oedipus taught us that a man is slave to his fate.
Spiritual vision is required to free him from these chains.
And who can harm a wise man, who’s not afraid to die?
The question is for Socrates, because he liked questions.
Slow reading is essential to understand each concept.
I think we mustn’t be afraid to read into the stories.
The ancient texts have power to change our way of thinking.
Fear won’t lead to heroism and full participation
is needed so the “audience” can share their feelings,
their inner thoughts, their attitudes, their fears and their pity.
This is the way to catharsis, which is a new beginning.
I have beautiful memories, which I will take with me,
as long as life’s journey will lead me to new harbors.
During the course Andreas died and so did Maurizio.
A little girl, Penelope, saw the daylight.
A hero-X founded a club to serve next generations.
We shared five months of knowledge, five months of our lives.
It’s been a privilege for me to be a hero-student
and many of you are near and dear, the distance doesn’t matter.
You have a place in my heart, a place in my prayers.
Farewell! I’m sure we ‘ll meet again, Eternity is ours,
in Leuke or in Paradise, where the Light reigns.
The good thing is that the course returned to life and light in Autumn and then with the Hour 25 and now we are about to celebrate its first anniversary thanks to the devotion and the heroic efforts of the staff and the TAs and the participation of its e-students of course. May it continue to unite people all over the world in the study of what is heroic, beautiful and poetic in human nature. May it teach people to avoid hubris and seek wisdom in life. May it lead the e-students from the 24th to the eternal hour.
your fellow e-classmate Euthymia
Euthymia Kalogera is a G.P. in the Health Center of Lygourio (Ancient Asklepeio), a small town (or a big village) located near the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus. She is interested in oral poetics because of her granny Tzanio, who introduced her to the world of Greek traditional folk poetry.