Socrates & Hemlock

Here's the basic deal:  Socrates was the first journalist.  He went out in public and verbally engaged with people who held political offices, and he asked them questions until people started gathering around and listening.  His goal was to make the politicians identify their ideologies - out loud - in front of other people, so democracy could happen.

He ended up being sentenced in court to either go outside and say he was a liar or to drink poison.

He drank the poison.

While I can't say The Republic is my favorite book, or that Socrates wasn't objectively wrong, periodically, I WILL say that someone had to commit ideologies into words that other people could consider.  (And let's remember that Socrates didn't write anything down, Plato did so after his mentor drank poison rather than lie - the true definition of a good teacher.).

Is The Republic hard to read?  Yes.
Is it frustrating?  Yes.
Did I want to punch someone, or myself, the first time I read it?  Yes.

Do it anyway.  Brain candy is sometimes a Hershey's Kiss, but sometimes it's a Now & Later, hard and then easier to eat.

Think.  Critically.

Ain't No Sunshine

Here are a series of things I wonder:

• why do people pretend to be something they're not?
• why do I pretend to be someone I'm not?
• why don't the people I truly love reciprocate?
• why do I care so much about other people?
• why won't the people I want to talk to talk to me?
• why do I purposely create a situation where people think I'm a hermit?
• why don't I love myself?
• why am I my worst critic?
• why do I love a cat more than I love some people?
• why is Bill Withers narrating my life?
• why do other people seem to know how to be better at life than I am?
• is this a lovely day?

Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam

Sunbeams are not made like me.

humanity

Humanity I Love You 

By: e.e cummings 

Humanity i love you
because you would rather black the boots of
success than enquire whose soul dangles from his
watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both

parties and because you
unflinchingly applaud all
songs containing the words country home and
mother when sung at the old howard

Humanity i love you because
when you’re hard up you pawn your
intelligence to buy a drink and when
you’re flush pride keeps

you from the pawn shop and
because you are continually committing
nuisances but more
especially in your own house

Humanity i love you because you
are perpetually putting the secret of
life in your pants and forgetting
it’s there and sitting down

on it
and because you are
forever making poems in the lap
of death
Humanity

i hate you