The Economics of Ancient Greece

By David Wharton
                                                                                    

Something remarkable happened in classical Greece, but we didn't know about it until very recently. Against all historical odds, they nourished a successful class of entrepreneurs and became wealthy.
 Greek authors usually didn't portray their civilization that way. Herodotus famously contrasted Greek poverty with Eastern luxury in an encounter he recorded (or made up) between the Athenian lawgiver Solon and Croesus, the eponymously wealthy Lydian king. Croesus took Solon on a tour of his treasury, then asked him who was the happiest man he had ever seen. Solon replied that it was someone named Tellus, an Athenian of moderate means, who was lucky in having beautiful and good children and grandchildren, and who died old, and heroically, in battle..........Read more

My Take - It's apparent the ancient Greeks had the same kind of blowhards that exist today.   In my youth I used to hear how the rich aren't happy.  That was from people who were never rich, so how would they know?  So conversely - should I think happiness only resides in being poor?  If that's the case, then being impoverished must be absolute bliss....Right?   

Many years ago I read an article  outlining a study about whether or not the rich were happy. It appears the conventional wisdom was wrong.....it turns out the rich really are happy!  Having money can add pressures, but not being able to pay the bills isn't one of them. Well...it goes to show.....people will always be people, and what's conventional wisdom may be blatant nonsense.

That's the trouble with conventional wisdom.  It may popular, it may be self satisfying, it may fit the consensus thinking, and it be what everyone believes, but that doesn't make it traditional wisdom, because traditional wisdom will stand the test of time. 

Truth is the sublime convergence of history and reality!