Who am I? (Answer)
Submitted by
on Fri, 03/06/2009 at 9:56am.
In the ancient world, the 'city of speech' was the home of a wise and honest man who, in the end, was condemned for obstructing state values. During a time when the majority of the citizens were after power, wealth and glory, more than ever, this man went on a mission to instill some ethics and morality into his beloved community that was gradually loosing its identity.
His mission was a great one indeed, for he had great obstacles. One of these obstacles was ‘foreigners’, who called themselves Sophists. These men claiming to be wise men, were preaching in the streets for money, and were teaching the youth how to speak persuasively, like them. The youth believed that speaking persuasively, regardless of the truth, would gain them political power one day. And, it is this political power (ironically) that brought them face to face with the Spartans, the most fierce warriors of the ancient world... but that, my friends, is another story...
His conscience compared to that of the state, was like a bridle trying to guide a wild horse. How ironic is that? Athens was the birthplace of democracy (yet had become like a wild horse…) and, Socrates, the wise man, was trying to restrain her from exposing her artificial courage (or pride).
“No one is wiser…” said the oracle at Delphi, concerning him. And, the ‘city of speech’, would soon sink from glory and fame to ruins, and would come face to face with the reality of her own ignorance. Having sentenced to death a man of courage and morals would prove to be a fatal sign of a democracy having plunged into a democratic tyranny.
"How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers I cannot tell; but I know that they almost made me forget who I was- so persuasively did they speak; and yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth." -Socrates
O, proud Athenians, do not argue with me!!!
No one is wiser than Socrates.