Quo Vadis

"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." ~ Socrates

This week I've been listening to a lecture series by Peter Kreeft on Ethics. The man is incredibly lucid and I recommend this audio series to anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of oneself, as well as the times we live in. On my way to the recycle center this a.m. I was listening to lecture three on Socrates. Fascinating.

Other than Jesus, no human has more profoundly influenced our world. Nietzsche himself cited Jesus and Socrates as the most significant men and minds of history.

How did Socrates become such a wise man? Here's the story. Socrates had a friend who was granted the opportunity to ask a question of the Oracle at Delphi. The Oracle always answered accurately though also with an abstruse ambiguity. When you have only one question to ask of the god, you don't want to be frivolous about the matter. Socrates' friend thus asked, "Who is the wisest man in the world?" The Oracle replied that it was his friend Socrates.

Socrates was astonished to say the least, for he did not consider himself a wise man at all. Therefore, he set about to find just one wiser man than himself to prove the Oracle wrong. Each time he met someone who claimed to be wise or was purported to be wise, he'd needle him or her with questions. Was this person really wise? Socrates sincerely wanted to know. The questions dismantled the facade of wisdom and revealed its lack.

Thus began the Socratic method which ultimately became Socrates' claim to fame. Ask questions. Ask good questions. Ask thoughtful and probing questions. In the process, Socrates indeed became the wise man that the Oracle had prophesied.

Philosophy can be incredibly rewarding, and fun, too. The study of philosophy sweeps us into what is known as "the Great Conversation." By studying the history of philosophy we have an opportunity to dialogue with the great minds of history as they grapple with the three great questions.
1. Who am I?

2. Where did I come from?

3. Where am I going?

These are not religious questions per se. They are heart and soul and mind questions that help us get a handle on what we're about. Part of growing up involves the self-awareness that results from allowing these questions to probe us. How can we choose careers or a life path without knowing, or at least having an inkling of who we are, where we came from and what we're about?

The Latin expression "Quo Vadis" means just this: Where are you going? Are you moving toward illumination, or avoiding the facts of your life? Are you striving to gain understanding and seeking answers to the deep questions of your heart? Or is it only diversion you seek as you move away from the firelight into the desert darkness beyond?

I strongly recommend Peter Kreeft's writings, and especially his Modern Scholar Lecture Series on Ethics. But it doesn't matter to me where you start really. Philosophy is a wonderful and worthy pursuit. And any thread on the garment will lead you to other threads of thought that lead you to yet still more in the great tapestry of life and thought. Carpe diem!

NOTE: The clay figures 'round the campfire were created by my son Micah when he was young and at home.