March 6: European Day of the Righteous

Every religion has its do’s and don’ts, and for the Greeks, these were neatly summarised by seven philosophers, known as “the seven Sages of Greece”. The most important instructions got engraved on Apollo’s temple at Delphi, as the “Delphic Maxims”. I wish, in this modern era, we could dismiss the ones about watching out for enemies and giving your life for your country, but shockingly, we can’t. Maybe if we followed the other principles, most of which sound vaguely familiar: shun unaliving, obey the law, respect your parents, fear deceit, gain possessions justly, judge incorruptibly, share the load of the infortunate, and do not wrong the dead. Some of the maxims sound like school regulations (cling to discipline, do what you mean to do, use your skill, be courteous, give a timely response), or a self-guide to happiness (know yourself, praise hope, pursue harmony, recognise fortune, pray for things possible, control anger, be grateful, look down on no one, and my favourite: tell when you know). And then of course there’s “rule your wife”. Yes… you could stick to this one. Which would exclude all of the above.

Temple of Apollo, Reconstruction, Delphi Archaeological Museum, Greece

Mosaic of the seven sages (Baalbeck), National Museum of Beirut, Lebanon