Socrates…Where did you come up with that name?
I have this cute little Yorkshire Terrier, his name is Socrates. He is my little shadow that follows me from one end of the house to the other, he just hates it when I am not where he can see me. One thing that is so funny to watch is how he reacts when I get in the swimming pool. He lunges, prances and chases around the pool to arrive where I have swam to, and goes totally berserk when I dive under the water. Many times, he gets so excited that he jumps into the pool and swims to where ever I am, even if it means swimming the entire 32 feet to get to me.
Enough about my little shadow and his antics for the moment…instead, I want to write about something that is completely crazy, insane and ridiculous! To say the least I am shocked, appalled, stupified and thoroughly flabbergasted to have so many people say to me, “Socrates, what an interesting name…where on earth did you find that?” or “Who is Socrates? I’ve never heard of him before”. And to beat it all…the look on their face is one of pure ignorance…and I am not saying that to sound cruel.
I live in a state that I will not name, because I do not want others to think that it is the location of the state that I reside in that is at fault…HOWEVER…the teachers and parents and school systems in this area sure as hell are!
My usual response is “WHO IS SOCRATES? ARE YOU SERIOUS?…What about Plato, ever heard of him…?” Blank looks all around! It is UNREAL! I have been asked these same questions by people ranging from 12 to 50 years of age…and it never ceases to amaze me that people really don’t know who Socrates is!
I learned about Socrates when I was in high school, and I was not on any debate teams or special things such as that. We learned of Socrates in various classes, including government classes, Greek Mythology classes,( and he was no mythological creation), philosophy classes and such…what I want to know is what are they teaching our kids nowadays? Apparently nothing in this state, because this is not the first time that I have run into something such as this that has left me baffled.
Why is it that the great philosopher’s of the world and the men that were considered the founding fathers on subjects such as Western Philosophy are no longer known?
What else are they NOT teaching our children??
Got another one for you…but I will save it for the next time…
Until then, if you don’t know who Socrates is or Plato….look them up or better yet….watch Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure where you will be able to meet him in person!
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