Any non-student of philosophy will know the names of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle etc. It is said Plato was a student of Socrates, recorded faithfully the teachings of Socrates. We are talking of events which took place some 2500 years ago!
Socrates was a wise man and learned philosopher. As per the traditions and practices of those times Socrates used to discuss /argue about concepts such as truth, justice, beauty etc. with friends & strangers at public places. The Republic of Plato shows the mind, vision and the philosopher in Socrates. He had many admires, fans, students and followers. He talked of corruption, good governance and methods of building a great society. He had advocated communism of property and wives! He is considered as one of the brightest minds ever seen in the history of mankind. Looking at the problems caused by Socrates, the Athenian government had to arrest & jail him and after a lengthy trial he was sentenced to death. He was asked to drink poison. The Athenian government gave him an opportunity to mend his ways, but he refused to mend. He chooses to drink poison.
No practical man will choose death. This casts doubt on the intelligence of Socrates – whether Socrates was an intelligent or a foolish man? No ideology, & no belief is worth giving away /sacrificing life. Life is but once. There is no second. Like all other religious gods & prophets, Socrates too dreamt of changing the people / society! Take any god or a prophet or seer – one common character among them is that they wanted to uplift people / change them. They challenged the then ideas.
Allow me not to go into the philosophy of “due to their challenges, alone, we are where we are today and development would have been impossible”. I must remind again that no development is worth life. Socrates, the greatest philosopher ever, did not know this simple thing. He gave life! He died. This makes Socrates a foolish and an impractical man – he is as impractical as his Republic. I can say, having read few works of Socrates / Plato, that he was a small-time politician with tall ambitions.
Who said, rather-which idiot said, giving away life for the benefit of all is a great virtue? Do not be foolish like Socrates. Be wise. And that wiseness teaches us to be silent when the things are not right. This is the only way; we can enjoy life & live life fully.
Today I observe many Socrates’s who want to educate / awaken others. They fight for justice, rebel against injustice. They do not want inequality! Millions write on social media, in newspapers and organize small & big meetings. As I walk down the street, I see hundreds of thousands of politicians. Their sense of fighting for justice is so acute that everybody thinks of changing the society! All they achieve in the process is ill health; dissatisfied life and hell. Further, they justify themselves “It is better to lay down life while fighting for justice”. “It is better to be a Socrates dis-satisfied than a pig satisfied”. We have every chance of being satisfied with us. I am selfish. I am mean. I only think of myself – these are the usual criticisms from these politician people. I mind my own business; My birth and my death are my business; it is not business of all. If I can be selfish at birth & at death, then why not during my life? You keep the bright ideas glorifying Socrates to yourself. I do not want to be a Socrates!
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
