The myth of Atlantis, or, as experts on the Science Channel have proven, Thera and Crete in the Greek Isles, can teach us a thing or two about life, liberty, and pursuing happiness.  

According to the enlightening documentary, “Searching for Atlantis,” on the Science Channel, the Minoan people, who led their bull-jumping acrobatics and regal celebrations, were predominantly women. The experts in this hour-long exploration believe that Minoan Thera and the Minoan Crete islands are the real-life Atlantis that Plato wrote about. This myth has been passed down through generations, each time revealing new insights. 

In Pythagorean society (members who believed numbers were the basis of reality), homes and ceremonial buildings were more than just box construction. They created beautiful flowing murals of activities like dining, sewing, building pottery, and establishing their society as a plant-loving society. From this exploration of the Minoans, all of the earth mattered to them. So, the congruous nature of living was to embrace the earth and nature and all of its surroundings. By respecting women in their society, they were building a freer society than perhaps our American culture is.  

The takeaway lesson is that as we consider due process part of our democratic constitution, we should also consider Mother Earth, respect women as leaders, and elect more women to government positions.  

On the Greek vases, both men and women are depicted jumping the bull and performing other acrobatics with equal skill and grace. This portrayal of women and men points to a society that valued equality and mutual respect, a concept that continues to inspire us today.   

Freedom doesn't necessarily have to be about war, and so this look at Atlantis or the Minoans reminds me that freedom could also be about expressions of bliss found in murals, mosaics, earthen ware, and the design of their city. The art of these people seems to say that life is for all the living and that knowledge gives a sense of freedom and happiness.  

Freedom should include everybody and should not relegate asylum seekers to torture and concentration camps. It should bear witness to the conservation of our trees, national forests, rolling hills and in the future of all living things to thrive and be beautiful. Wind and solar sources of energy bring a balance to over stripping of Mother Earth. From Minoan history we learn that all life is precious. Most likely, the documentary suggests that they used saffron crocus to build their wealth. The herb was plentiful and grew every year. The grinding of the flower's stigma produced the carotenoids used for fragrance, seasoning, dye, and medicine. Atlanteans were gifted in the saffron (spice) development — and more so than surrounding Mediterranean cultures — so sprung their trading wealth. Archeologists suggest that the wealth was spread around for all in the island population.  

In my mind, freedom is education and studying history and art history, which tells about the Bronze Age of Thera and Crete, where harmony met respective freedoms and pursuits of happiness. The renewable sources for their trading wealth were plants. I think it is time for the USA to embrace renewable energy and be the beacon of freedom for all, including asylum seekers at our borders. If we truly are a Judeo-Christian country, we must fold those who seek us into our arms without steering them into filthy concentration camps. The Minoans were neither Christian nor Jew, yet they spring from a philosophy of sharing and spreading the wealth around to humans and to the earth. 

We must do the same by embracing philosophies like Minoans and Native Americans (and Jesus feeding the 5,000). It's time we recognize the strength we have in our life and our freedoms and renew our bliss by truly looking out for the planet and people seeking us out for protection from gang and drug wars. We must embrace the guidance of women and their insights where rigidity, fabrication, and plundering has been around too long. 

Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com.