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.