Guest guest Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 WHERE IS DIOGENES? In case you’ve forgotten, Diogenes was an eccentric social critic in Athens in the 4th Century B.C. The archetype survives today perhaps in , who also tells us like it is. Diogenes is best remembered for walking the streets of the city in broad daylight, carrying a lighted lantern. When asked why he was doing such a crazy thing, he replied, “I am looking for an honest man!†I have yet to read or hear a commentary on the corrupting of our nation everywhere by common dishonesty of all stripes. It is as if carpenter ants were invisibly destroying the structure of this country, and perhaps others. Just think about the lies that have been told by the highest officers of this land,but the cheating, chiseling, posturing and deceiving has gradually taken over our entire society! Many kids cheat, swipe, and steal as a matter of course and think you are stupid if you don’t. Hundreds of preachers and priests pretend to virtue and end up in total disgrace for sexual misconduct. Ask yourself, dear reader, what the state of your own conscience is? I have, and I realize that it is just when consciously you think you are pretty good, the unconscious kicks in and reminds you “Oh, yeah?†I remember about fifty years ago, a woman of my generation, went to the supermarket and left with a big box of laundry soap on the lower rack which the checker overlooked. She thought about keeping it but decided that, if she did, every time she would use it, she would be reminded that she had stolen it! That wasn’t worth the price. So she took it back and paid for it, which, by the way, was a hardship. Well, she astonished the store and received a congratulatory note from the manager, as well. Diogenes would have smiled. But is honesty that rare? The thing one doesn’t realize is that the liar believes no one; the thief trusts no one; and the cheater lives with fear of discovery. The price we pay is unconscious fear and shame. It is my humble opinion, that if parents won’t do it, teachers should teach that “Virtue is enlightened self-interest!†Karma, as it is known, is by definition simply the law of cause and effect. It is not only a spiritual law in every religion but a scientific fact. A ball bounces; a hot stove can burn. If you wind up a ball of string, it unravels when you drop it. A pendulum swings back and forth until it finds the middle way. Add mud to clean water, you can’t drink it. Our whole society is truly in danger of throwing away the honorable ideals and ethics of our Founding Fathers, who sacrificed even their lives for us, however both the Republican and Democratic contenders for the presidency have given us hope for a return to integrity. Our military, unsung for the most part, seem to understand what loyalty and courage and sacrifice mean, and yet they have been manipulated into ghastly situations by a now departing dishonest government. I pray, with many others I am sure, that our new President Obama will lead the way to a fresh new foundation built on just plain honesty! We really do need a change! So I vote, as a permanent reminder, for a statue of Diogenes to be erected before Congress! Alice O. Howell Monterey -------------------A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Dear Alice, If the woman who returned the soap powder received a congratulatory note from the store manager, that would indicate that her behavior was rare and unexpected even then. In her situation, I would be reluctant to return the item, for fear that I would be arrested for shoplifting. Maybe I would just take it back and leave it without saying anything. It was a problem in ancient Athens (whose regime was generally much more virtuous than ours, imo anyway), and it's a problem now - it seems nothing fundamental has changed. I find that comforting, in its way. Naturam expellas furca.... " Things are pretty bad - but then again, they always are. " Or at least that is what I will keep telling myself for the next eight years, lol :-). best, Dan > > > WHERE IS DIOGENES? > > In case you’ve forgotten, Diogenes was an eccentric social critic in Athens > in the 4th Century B.C. The archetype survives today perhaps in > , who also tells us like it is. Diogenes is best remembered for walking the > streets of the city in broad daylight, carrying a lighted lantern. When asked > why he was doing such a crazy thing, he replied, “I am looking for an honest > man!†> I have yet to read or hear a commentary on the corrupting of our nation > everywhere by common dishonesty of all stripes. It is as if carpenter ants were > invisibly destroying the structure of this country, and perhaps others. Just > think about the lies that have been told by the highest officers of this > land,but the cheating, chiseling, posturing and deceiving has gradually taken over > our entire society! Many kids cheat, swipe, and steal as a matter of course > and think you are stupid if you don’t. Hundreds of preachers and priests > pretend to virtue and end up in total disgrace for sexual misconduct. Ask > yourself, dear reader, what the state of your own conscience is? I have, and I > realize that it is just when consciously you think you are pretty good, the > unconscious kicks in and reminds you “Oh, yeah?†> I remember about fifty years ago, a woman of my generation, went to the > supermarket and left with a big box of laundry soap on the lower rack which the > checker overlooked. She thought about keeping it but decided that, if she did, > every time she would use it, she would be reminded that she had stolen it! > That wasn’t worth the price. So she took it back and paid for it, which, by the > way, was a hardship. Well, she astonished the store and received a > congratulatory note from the manager, as well. Diogenes would have smiled. But is > honesty that rare? > The thing one doesn’t realize is that the liar believes no one; the thief > trusts no one; and the cheater lives with fear of discovery. The price we pay is > unconscious fear and shame. It is my humble opinion, that if parents won’t > do it, teachers should teach that “Virtue is enlightened self-interest!†> Karma, as it is known, is by definition simply the law of cause and effect. It > is not only a spiritual law in every religion but a scientific fact. A ball > bounces; a hot stove can burn. If you wind up a ball of string, it unravels when > you drop it. A pendulum swings back and forth until it finds the middle way. > Add mud to clean water, you can’t drink it. > Our whole society is truly in danger of throwing away the honorable ideals > and ethics of our Founding Fathers, who sacrificed even their lives for us, > however both the Republican and Democratic contenders for the presidency have > given us hope for a return to integrity. Our military, unsung for the most > part, seem to understand what loyalty and courage and sacrifice mean, and yet > they have been manipulated into ghastly situations by a now departing dishonest > government. I pray, with many others I am sure, that our new President Obama > will lead the way to a fresh new foundation built on just plain honesty! We > really do need a change! > So I vote, as a permanent reminder, for a statue of Diogenes to be erected > before Congress! > Alice O. Howell > Monterey > ------------------- > **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy > steps! > (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://\ www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De > cemailfooterNO62) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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