I am a mere “opinionator” for The Covington News. The greatest opinion-giver of all time is the Greek philosopher, Socrates. In those days, there were no surnames, he was simply Socrates, son of Sophronicus of Alopeke (a neighborhood) in Athens, Greece. Born in 470 B.C, died in 399 B.C., he is considered the founder of western philosophy. “Socrates didn’t have an overhead projector. He asked questions and 3,500 years later people are still talking about him,” said Hanoch McCarty.
His three ultimate philosophical questions came to him one night while gazing at a night sky full of stars (imagine the clarity of that crisp deep night, with no pollution), “Who am I?” … “Where did I come from?” … “Where am I going?” You must remember that this was 400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, and 800 miles away. He was not aware of it, yet he was a child of God! Socrates had an innate sense of correct moral and ethical thought and he believed in the immortality of the soul. He believed that a person must self-examine before speaking: “Am I sure that what I am going to say is true?” Is what I am going to say a good thing?” and “Do I really need to say it and is it useful?” Sounds to me like the Rotary 4 Way Test was inspired by Socrates’ ethics.
He said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Monitor your thoughts and actions to always have the best possible outcome. He was modest, even though he was the smartest man alive at the time, yet he said “as for me, all I know is that I know nothing.” History tells us that he was extremely ugly, with a snub upturned pigs-snout type of nose, bulging eyes, a big belly (of which he was proud). The ancient Greeks valued physical beauty, but not him; he rarely bathed, was unkempt, but did not care about his physical appearance, only his keen mind. He thought that you should care less for the body and possessions, but focus on your soul. He married Xanthippe, had one son, and apparently, she was a shrew, even tossing a chamber pot’s contents over his head. Later he married Myrto and had 2 sons. He said “By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you will be happy. If you get a bad one you will become a philosopher!” and “Happiness is what all people desire.”
Socrates never took a fee for his lessons, they were free. He wanted people to be educated, whatever it took. Astoundingly, he never wrote down any of his ideas. We have his pupil Plato to thank for writing down his teachings. Check out this chain of events. Socrates taught Plato (428 B.C.-348 B.C.), Plato taught Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great from the age of 13 for three years. Alexander became a powerful king, and the conqueror of the known world. This chain of intellect passed from teacher to pupil for generations. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are considered the “Top Three” philosophers in the western world, the G.O.A.Ts.!
There are SO MANY of his teachings, but in a nutshell, he taught self -knowledge, virtue, and the pursuit of truth. He was A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME, and his followers admired him for his integrity, self-mastery, his profound philosophical insight, and his great argumentative skill. I was pleased to find out that he learned rhetoric skill from a woman, Aspasia! And he was bold enough to admit it! He even asked one of his colleagues to listen to him, then sift through his words to make sure they contained truth, goodness and needfulness. Socrates had a full life, served in the Greek military, was a sculptor, played the lyre, loved to dance, believing that it kept the body in good shape.
These are some of his key sayings… “The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance,” “wonder is the beginning of wisdom,” “excellence is not an act, but a habit,” “to find yourself- think for yourself,” “he who is not a good servant will not be a good master,” and “wealth does not bring goodness; but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state.”
In his life time, the Greeks believed in gods and goddesses, 12 major ones, on top of Mt. Olympos. I think that he had serious doubts about this religion, and maybe he challenged his students to think deeply about this. Well, he got in trouble for “corrupting” the youth of Athens, and suggesting impiety to those gods. He was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. He could have fled the city, but he faced his critics, and used his death as another lesson to his students. Teaching until his last breath, he acknowledged that this “passage” was a different state of being, but not an end to being. Well, he has become immortal! His wisdom lives today, and in Greece, to be named Socrates is an honor, four men in my family are named Socrates, including my son!
Carol Veliotis is a local columnist for The Covington News. She can be reached at carol.veliotis@gmail.com.
