Historically speaking . . .

Lately (well, since the CFA exam a few weeks ago), I have been watching a number of period movies (Marie Antoinette), History Channel documentaries (La Cosa Nostra, WWII, and a really cool special called "From the Bible to the Battlefield" that tracked the war tactics of the Israelites), and HBO specials and shows (Rome, etc). Though I know that not everything I've seen is historically accurate, I have observed two common themes running through the course of human history.

First, it is amazing to think about how much of the course of human history has been decided under the influence of alcohol (or even other drugs). In Marie Antoinette, the king drinks wine at breakfast before negotiating treaties. Soldiers, and likely generals, sometimes enter battle under the influence. And I'm sure old Winston Churchill knocked back some cocktails with FDR and Stalin at the Yalta conference. Even in business, a bottle of scotch is frequently present, aiding negotiations and strategy. Alcohol has been ritualized in human society, whether through casual means or acts like communion. Would modern society be different, or would we be different, if these issues were decided with clear conscience and sobriety?

Additionally, I have been struck by the commonality of the human spirit. At the end of the day, regardless of wealth, social status, race or era, we enjoy human company -- the communal act of eating. Look at dances and dinners throughout history: the same themes are present. To compare two movies, the social activities in City of God (about life in a poor Brazilian ghetto) and Marie Antoinette (about the height of society at Versailles) are not much different, controlling for the amount of money involved. People enjoy the same gossip and get the same thrill from a glance by an unknown stranger across the room. The social interaction of eating, whether among the Ottoman soldiers that invented the shish kebob, or among French nobility, or even among the Soprano family while dining at Arte Buco's restaurant, fuels the human spirit as it has throughout history.