The consul general of Greece in Chicago spoke of Ancient Greece’s importance in today’s world and discussed briefly how modern day Greece draws from influences of the past Wednesday.

The symposium on Ancient Greece opened with a presentation by Ioanna Efthymiadou, consul general of Greece in Chicago.

“This symposium gives us the rare opportunity to discuss the essence of being Greek and our civilization, as well as not being caught in the current snapshots that sometimes can be misleading,” she said.

Efthymiadou began with talking about how Ancient Greece was ahead of all other civilizations of the time.

“Most examples of Ancient Greece come from Athens in the classical period,” she said. “We can start from the general acceptance that the Greek civilization has formed the basis of Western civilization, this civilization we’re in.”

She said this influence includes the arts, sciences and the organization of America’s political system.

“It was based in discovering the way we think and the way we capture and understand the world,” she said.

Efthymiadou discussed the importance of seeking the truth in all aspects of life.

“We have to see what we are talking about, see the subsequent effects on subsequent human civilization and how we look back to this from the standpoint of the 21st century and the current situation we are in,” she said.

Efthymiadou focused on the first part of this, and talked about how modern civilization defines Ancient Greece.

This time period generally associated with Ancient Greece, the classical period of Athens, was a time of truth seeking, she said.

“Truth, according to the dictionary, is being in accord with fact or reality,” she said. “It’s the logical connotation of a word or a phrase.”

Efthymiadou talked the Greek quest for wisdom, which she said has been the core element of the Greek civilization.

“The Ancient Greeks not only thought about the way of thinking and how you acquire your awareness, but they went even beyond the mind and the emotion,” she said. “They reached the point of maturity where the only start of knowledge is the acceptance that you know nothing, which is what Plato tells us.”

Efthymiadou said Ancient Greeks connected truth and beauty, and that it is obvious in all works, including paintings and sculptures.

“You can find Greek influence in every step we make,” she said. “There is a very concrete influence of the core elements of Ancient Greece.”

Efthymiadou also talked about her experience as a diplomat and the interesting aspects of her job.

“One of the best things about this job is the fact that you expose yourself to different countries and ways of life, and that means that you develop a conscience to work with people that are different,” she said.

Efthymiadou spoke briefly about the state of modern-day Greece and the economic conditions, but said the outlook for Greece in the future is bright.

“What we can repeatedly connect with the symposium is that Greece has faith like every country,” she said. “Europe and Greece have been faced with many crises, but I am convinced this is a crisis to be overcome very soon.”

Robyn Dexter can be reached at 581-2812 or redexter@eiu.edu.