I must say — I am over the moon! Visiting Greece has been a dream of mine for a long time. And here I am, in the Hellenic gardens. Greek culture is often called Hellenic because, in classical times, Greece was called 'Hellas'. Nowadays, Greeks call their beloved country as 'Ellada'. This is a vivid, breathing legacy of classical culture with many layers of history.
Here, myths were eternalised in the form of fine arts — and the spheres of mythology, religion and philosophy are intricately connected. The Greek word myth means story — thus, myths were ways to explain the nature of life and psychological knowledge. Ways of exploring layers of our human psyche. There is so much to it.
"(...) for the unexamined life is not worth living."
— Plato, The Apology of Socrates
By the foothill of the Acropolis of Athens, we can visit the ancient Greek centre of government, commerce, and ancient Athenian livelihood — the archaeological site of the Agora. There, a magnificent linear building stands — it is called Stoa. Where merchants and artists could display and sell their goods. It was a meeting place for people to socialise. Where philosophers shared ideas — hence the origin of the term stoicism. The one in the photographs, the Stoa of Attalos, was rebuilt in the 20th century. This makes it so interesting because we can experience the scale of the building and experience the atmosphere of the space where once, the ancient philosopher Socrates walked freely sharing ideas and notoriously provoked his fellow citizens to think for themselves, to question one's own beliefs for the quest of living the Good Life.
For Socrates, exchanging ideas in shared gatherings was the key to bringing awareness to our individual & collective values. For one — when we commune with others, we experience the totality of who we are — Self-reflection. KNOW THYSELF. Secondly, we must look for our own good in others and allow the knowledge to come through dialogue (dia-Logos) with ourselves and others. Thus nourishing our souls with the wisdom that resides within our hearts and minds so that we can live in alignment with our individual ethics. So that we can be — collectively so — the best that we can BE.
What makes life worth living? What satisfies your soul? What are your core values? Questions that sound like modern-day journal prompts to create the life of our dreams. But imagine that at that time — although Socrates lived in the so-called "Golden Age" of Athens — people were preoccupied with caring for their survival. Hence, he was often described as a wise but nerve-racking man. Nowadays, science explains why it is paramount to have a healthy nervous system to create new neuro pathways and, thus, to inhabit new, refined versions of ourselves. To inhabit our higher Self, also known as Daimon in ancient Greece; hence, eudaimonia is a state of Being. Fulfilling our highest potential is the dare of a lifetime, indeed. So, I invite you to reflect with me on the beauty of philosophy as a mental attitude to support our individual and collective desire to BE GOOD. And dare I say — to reflect on how Socrates channeled principles of Love in his ideology. — Oh, Aphrodite.
To cultivate the desire to live the Good life.
To love life, for what it is.
To stay curious.
To cultivate philosophy as a way of Being.
Practicing it, inhabiting it.
To have a passion for who we are at our core.
Oh, Aphrodite.
To have a passion for what we do.
Oh, Aphrodite.
To share gatherings, to gather.
Oh, Aphrodite.
To cultivate the courage to think for ourselves and do what is right in our hearts. Deconditioning Self-beliefs. Deconditioning Love.
To know thyself.
And this is a challenge, is it not? It is a daily practice, for sure. For as long as we are breathing, we are constantly evolving. Thus, our self-knowledge will be ever-evolving too. So, we might as well love the quest for wisdom. Philo-Sophia, the Love of Wisdom. If there is a "there", there we are.
Let us live the Good life for the Love of it.
Love thyself,
Daniela
Comments