Life and Death

Life and Death

The version of Socrates’ speech by Plato as he fruitlessly defended his case when he was charged with corrupting the young explores on the subject of life, its importance and death. Plato wrote “Apology” as he speaks in defense of this cause and the beliefs of Socrates. Socrates was not afraid of death. He confidently denounced that these formal charges would kill him. What Socrates said would kill him was the prejudicial slander and gossip. Apparently, Apology presents an idea that people should not be bothered by death. What really is important in the life of an individual is whether they are doing the right thing in their life. A fear of death as presented in Apology is a clear demonstration of the lack of knowledge. The Apology regards death as a great blessing. 

            How people live determine their fate and thus, death is not something to cause fear in any person. According to Apology, people should not live as though they knew everything. Many people live as though they know everything about death but apparently they do not know. Socrates says that a lawful superior should be obeyed. It does not matter whether he is human or divine. All the same the divine authority should be given priority and revered by all men. According to Apology, people should owe a greater obedience to God more than their fellow man as they live. Ideally, people should live not to please their fellow man. This is what Socrates advocated for. It was the source of the courage he had in his practice of philosophy. People should be conscious to follow the truth and observing moral goodness. No person should prevent somebody from pursuing moral goodness and the truth.

            Socrates made a commitment to pursue the moral good of his life and others. He shows how important it is to hold onto the truth despite the odds we face in life. Socrates offered to defend his ideology to the latter. It did not matter whether the charges were lifted so that he can give in to their demands. Adult life becomes meaningless if an individual does not hold firmly to the truth and the moral good in the universe. Socrates asserted that there was more to life other than just acquiring money and wealth. Life was not only about having honor and a having a good repute among the citizens of the land. On the contrary, maturity and adult life should be characterized by the attention given to understanding and truth. The perfection of the soul is more important than any other thing.

            The Apology presents hard truths and very important information as pertains to life and death. The argument is assertive and presents logical facts on the general perception of life. Life should show a great concern for fellow men. Socrates claimed that no better good can result than living a life for others. People should seek goodness in their lives first before going ahead to acquire wealth. Goodness is a prerequisite to wealth. Therefore, life has its meaning in the search for moral goodness and if anyone dies having attained this, his legacy would remain among the people he lives behind. It is true that wealth can easily be lost and everything forgotten about the person who possessed it. However, speaking the truth and living a morally upright life can impact generations for years.

            Most importantly, it is not good to merely conform to the standards set by the society. We can not escape death by just conforming to the societal standards. We will all ultimately die and therefore, the fear of death will not add value to any human being. The glory of human beings goes hand in hand with their doom. It is therefore of much profit if people glory in making a transformation in the lives of his fellow people. The care given to the soul is of great importance in life. The soul lives forever but material wealth and the body would eventually pass away. According to Socrates, it is of no value and a mere vanity to put a lot of efforts in the things that cannot stand the test of time. Yielding to and providing for the soul in people’s lives is a prudent concept that the Apology adores. For Socrates, God cannot allow a person to be harmed by doom.

            The Apology is a predisposition of the inner sense of life and a manifestation of the deep reality about death. Socrates’ resilience was occasioned by his religious duty and the commitment to deal with the matters of the soul. Human satisfaction in life and the absence of fear pertaining to death is an outcome of dealing with issues concerning the soul. Socrates told the judges that he would not resort otherwise as a result of the emotive arguments and tricks. There was a deep conviction in his soul that there were worse things than death. His level of understanding and the nature of his soul clearly did not regard death as a bad thing. Death would be a blessing other than waiting in anticipation to see people being destroyed by their glee in wealth. Death becomes a painful experience when the soul is not well. This is why Socrates was confident that he would not break down in tears. He was not even ready to present his three sons to sway the judges. He did not fear death and neither was he ready to go contrary to the duty that he had in matters of religion.

            The power of death and its pain can therefore be overcome in relying entirely on truth and sound argument about life. No person can be secured through the abundance of the things that he or she posses. There is more to life than just having control of resources and wealth. In life, a person must look for that mental attribute which makes him or her most vitally and deeply alive. The pursuit of moral uprightness and truth of life brings out an inner being evidently alive. This is an inner being that is more alive than the physical being. It is a being that is already dead to the physical stress and adversity from which comes the confidence, “this is the real me.” When Socrates found out that inner self and attitude, he followed it. He is convinced that this is what people should long for in life as it leads to many other good things including resilience to even the most feared thing, death.

            On the shortness of life by Seneca, people seemed to be loaded with the same problems in their lives. The nastiness of nature and how life ends bothers many people living on earth. The idea presented here is a fact that we have a very short life span. The space that human beings have been given moves by very fast. The account given here is the vanity of life and that many get to understand life towards the end when they are preparing to live. Death suddenly comes in what many will call a nasty process. People regret about death as it does not even spare the famous. They will suddenly emerge and suddenly disappear through death. What is left behind is art alone. That is why physicians exclaimed that life is short whereas art is long. This is a sentiment that has guided many philosophers including Aristotle as he comes to terms with and studies about nature.

            Just like in the Apology, man has been presented with a lot of things but wastes a lot of time doing meaningless things. In fact, the issue is not that man has not been given enough time to live but because he has used his time all for the wrong reasons. That is why many are battling with death regarding it as nasty. The fear of death is occasioned by the fact that people feel that there is something they were supposed to do that they have not done. That is why Socrates could not fear death because he knew he had done right to accomplish what he wanted to do. Therefore, there was no point for him to continue living if the time of his death came. Therefore, Seneca’s philosophy agrees to the predisposition that life is relatively long enough and that people should live accordingly doing the right things.

            According to Seneca’s philosophy, life has been given in a generous measure that is sufficient enough. The measure of the longevity of life is enough to make people accomplish whatever great thing they wanted to. Good investment of a lifetime is what counts and not the physical counting of the period.  If the right investment is done in life, then there would be nothing to fear in death. Just like in Plato’s Apology, carelessness and squandering of wealth makes life short. It does not add any value. There are more important things to life other than just having fun and luxurious moments. People living in such a state would realize very late that they lived for the wrong reasons. Life will thus pass away very fast before they realize it and then will start to battle with death implying that there is need for more time to live.

            Therefore, the life that we live on earth is not actually short. It is only the people who make it appear short. It is not that we lack enough time to live but the fact that we are wasteful has cost many of us.  Just as substantial and great wealth is spread in a moment when it lands into the hands of a bad person, so is the life that is spent on wasteful activities. When wealth lands in the hands of a good custodian, it increases. The life that people have been given is thus very long if it is ordered well. Seneca apparently demonstrates that there is no point of complaining about nature. This is so because life can be proven to be long if it is used all for the right reasons. The insatiable greed in man is the main cause for all his dissatisfaction in life. This dissatisfaction is what makes most of them fear death.

            The issues presented by Seneca have a lot of significance and exemplifies the role of human beings in making life meaningful and fruitful. The failure to order life in a prudent way is the result of the many complains that people have. The wellness of the soul and proper control of the issues affecting us is the path to living our lives to the fullest. Apparently, there is a vacuum left when life is not lived accordingly. Death seems to cut short the dreams of many but ideally, that is not true. Laxity and poor life planning are the main causes of the many fears that people have in death. This philosophy tailors very well into Plato’s Apology by addressing important life aspects directing the way we should live.

             Seneca gives a list of reasons why people do not achieve the right things in life. Apparently, this is very true and a logical view that many people do not realize their goals because of hanging onto other people’s dreams. People waste their time by committing themselves to useless ambitions. Others cling firmly on wine and other fantasies including laziness. This is not the way people are expected to live. Human beings should be guided by a purpose in life and striving towards the achievement of a set goal. Failure to do so, the life of that person is doomed. Doing things without inspiration leads to emptiness of life. The failure to meet personal life ambitions is a very humiliating affair that scares many people out of earth. Their minds are pre-occupied with fear and haunted by the gateway of death. It is clear that proper planning leads to the satisfaction needed in life.

            Living for the wrong cause has cost humanity a great deal. There is nothing that satisfies like wellness of soul and mind. The pursuit for wealth only and useless things are characteristics of a life of want. It is therefore the responsibility of each and every individual to take charge of their lives. Everything that happens to an individual whether good or bad is depended on him or her. It is good for people to plan their lives and stop blaming others for whatever transpires in their lives. The destiny of each and every person is determined by the commitment that they make in aligning their soul to moral principles of the universe and abiding by the truth. There is no price to be paid to escape the reality of death. However, death can be considered as important as life when people live for the right reasons. It is important to exude confidence in the pursuit of moral goods and the welfare of others. No amount of complaint can rescue a man from his misfortunes. Tackling life issues bravely will however be of great help to the souls of men.