Socrates Revisited
Author: Ed Hirsch

Your life thus far, has been the *tutorial* for what is to come. In other words, all your experiences have been preparation, learning and guidance for where you are now and what you will do next.

Some of us might think ... "If THIS is Freedom, Give me slavery!" with regards to your life, the circumstances you find yourself in now.

A 1972 song lingers in mind, hauntingly ... "And my life isn't going the way I thought it was supposed to"
-- Dan Fogelberg, Looking for a Lady, from Home Free

It's almost as if we become in a permanent state of denial ... and then one day, "Boom!" You come face to face with reality, and experience the cold, harsh winds of a dark and lonely world.

If thoughts are things (and I believe they are), each of us has both the opportunity and choice with what you do and which direction to move in.

Each day, we are all *prompted* by the *tutorial* or experiences of our past. We either learn from them and improve our action, or we continue to stay in the same rut. My encouragement for you is to take logical and sound approach to where you are now, the direction which would be best for you to go in AND the precise action steps necessary.

The strife, struggle and uncomfortableness we go through is required to grow and improve personal circumstance as well as our potential contribution in/to the world.

The story is told of the young man who approached the philosopher, Socrates, and said, "Socrates, teach me what you know." The great teacher looked at the young man and said, "Do you really want to know all that I know?"

"Oh, yes, teacher, I do," the student replied.

"Walk with me for a time," Socrates said. So they walked for a while in silence. The learned philosopher slipped his arm around the young man's shoulder and guided him off the path and into the shallow waters of a lake. The young man thought that was a strange way for the philosopher to teach him what he knew, but after all he was Socrates, so the student decided to go along with what was happening.

They continued to walk into the water; it rose to their ankles, then knees and hips, until finally they were standing in water to their shoulders. Suddenly the arm that was around the young man's shoulders tightened around his neck and pulled him underneath the water. This was a very strange way to teach the student what he wanted to know. But this was Socrates, after all, so he submitted. He grabbed a breath before he went under, so he wasn't bothered for the first fifteen or twenty seconds, but after about thirty seconds, he wondered when Socrates was going to let him up. He gave him a signal to indicate that he had been under long enough and wanted to get out. Another few seconds and the young man began to fight with all he was worth. He kicked and clawed and scratched, but the hold was strong and he lost his strength. At that moment, Socrates pulled him out of the water, dragged him to the shore, and began to revive him.

When he caught his breath, angry and confused, the student looked into the face of one of the greatest philosophers of all time and said, "What was that all about?"

Socrates looked into his eyes and said, "When you want to know what I know as much as you just wanted to live, then you will know."

That kind of desire is what is known as burning desire!

Decide what it is you want. Don't decide what somebody else wants for you, it's not their responsibility. What do YOU want? The first principle is to decide what it is you want. Is it important enough to you to inspire you with a burning desire; that you will work and plan how to get it?

--Skip Ross and Carole Carlson, co-author (with Hal Lindsey) of "The Late Great Planet Earth."

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Best regards,

Ed Hirsch
mailto:ed@dreamstyles.com
ICQ# 55939361 650-872-1024
So. San Francisco, California


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