I've Been Thinkin', Overthinkin'

"In the same winter the Athenians resolved to sail again against Sicily with larger forces than those which Laches and Eurymedon had commanded, and, if possible, to conquer it. They were for the most part ignorant of the size of the island and of the numbers of its inhabitants, both Hellenic and native, and they did not realize that they were taking on a war of almost the same magnitude as their war against the Peloponnesians." -- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book XI, chapter 1

"This was the greatest Hellenic action that took place during this war, and, in my opinion, the greatest action that we know of in Hellenic history--to the victors the most brilliant of successes, to the vanquished the most calamitous of defeats; for they were utterly and entirely defeated; their sufferings were on an enormous scale; their losses were, as they say, total; army, navy, everything was destroyed, and, out of many, only few returned. So ended the events in Sicily." -- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book XII, chapter 87

Okay, this blog entry's quote is very long, but I post it for two reasons. First, even though these quotes don't necessarily have anything to do with my thoughts, these do. Second, I just read this in preparation for the coming week of Classical Civilization 375.

The Athenians set out on their expedition to Sicily when they were in a fairly secure position, ignorant of the strength of the cities they were attacking and urged on by people interested mostly in their own glory. Even though I have little sympathy for the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War, this is still one of the more wrenching tales of loss in battle in classical antiquity. It took a decade or so, but the result of this massive failure was the conquest of Athens by Sparta and defeat in the war. According to Thucydides, though, the Athenians actually could have conquered Syracuse and succeeded in its goals. (The question of how profitable this would have been is one for a different day.)

Obviously, it's best to have good information, but that isn't always possible. So the question is this: Given a lack of information, do you wait for something conclusive? Do you proceed with a plan of action and believe at all times in the eventuality of success? For a child of God, does this question even make sense--that is, does faith in God in the particulars of our lives eliminate the need to think in this way? That last question, especially, interests me. In an important decision that could potentially change your life, and above all when it could affect someone else's life, do you wait for God to give you an absolute answer? How do you tell if you have an answer and your own scattered thoughts are clouding things?

Right now I'm not quite sure, but in the meantime I'm going to keep praying and keep thinking and keep seeking wise counsel.