Plato

I really LOVED this reading! It was very poetic and had a very truthful and beautiful message. I love reading about people’s thoughts on “the beauty of love.” My favorite part was when it said,

“And if, my dear Socrates, man’s life is ever worth the living, it is when he has attained this vision of the very soul of beauty. Once you have seen it, you will never be seduced again by the charm of gold, dress, or comely boys… You will care nothing for the beauties that used to take your breath away and kindle such a longing in you.”

This is saying that life is only really worth living when you move beyond the materialistic things such as money, status, and physical beauty and realize that who you are on the inside is what really matters. Materialistic things fade away and are unpredictable. You will never fully be satisfied with your life if you are continuously seeking more of this and more of that. It makes sense that life is richest when you are happy with what you have and treat others with love. Often helping someone else before yourself can bring you much more happiness. I love how this reading ended with a prayer by Socrates. My favorite part of it said,

“Grant that I may become beautiful within, and that whatever outward things I have may be in harmony with the spirit inside me. May I understand that it is only the wise are rich, and may I have only have as much money as a temperate person needs.”

This prayer makes a point that it is not bad to have good outward things. I do not really see it necessary to give up everything in order to be truly “beautiful inside” or however you want to put it. For some people, being a monk may be fulfilling for them and that’s fine. I have met people that seem to almost look down on people for wanting a nice car or salary because “you should not focus on worldly things.” I think that it is okay to have nice possessions as long as they do not control you or be what you are seeking after.