The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side

Having just attended my first Greek lecture for the semester, which was concerned with Theocritus and the genre of poetry which he created, known to us as pastoral or bucolic, I have been reminded of one particular way in which ideas originating in the classical world still manifest themselves today. Our lecturer, Professor Stephen Halliwell, was explaining the paradox that exists between the very simple themes and subject matter of pastoral poetry, i.e. the idyllic life of a goatherd in the countryside, and the very sophisticated language which Theocritus uses to explore these in his poetry. This paradox becomes more accute when you take into account that Theocritus was writing for an elite, urbane audience, which saw country life as preferable to its own. The same is surely true in today's society, and is particularly evident in Great Britain- we have the tendency to idealise the way of life in different settings, countries and cultures, and to look upon our own with contempt. As someone who has lived in another country, I can honestly say that I feel fortunate to be living once again in Great Britain, which indeed offers many things which we often take for granted.