I came across this quote the other day:
In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these two means, man can attain perfection.
—Plato
I’m not at all convinced that Plato wrote that, but apparently a lot of people attribute it to him.
An even worse one is,
Someday, in the distant future, our grand-children’s grand-children will develop a new equivalent of our classrooms. They will spend many hours in front of boxes with fires glowing within. May they have the wisdom to know the difference between light and knowledge.
That one is even more egregious.
Anyway, do you think there is any truth in either statement? In particular, looking at the first one, how important is lifelong learning to you? What about exercise? Do you think any human can ever be perfect? What does it mean to succeed in life?
Lifelong learning and exercise are both very important to me…they’re both necessary for my mental and physical health and my happiness. I’m not a perfectionist and have no desire to be perfect, and I have no desire to be “successful.” I love being retired so I can immerse myself in the things I love and don’t have to worry about what other people think. What about you?
January 12, 2022
I do NOT agree with the first statement. There is no such thing as perfection in human beings. What is perfect to one person is not necessarily perfect to another. I think there’s perfection in nature, in animals, but impossible for people to be. And why would anyone strive for it?
But the second statement? Whoa. We are almost there! I think those boxes are the computers/ laptops/ phones. You can learn so much on the Internet but a person needs wisdom to know the difference between verified facts and fake.
I’m pretty sure the second one was written by someone who could see what was happening with TV. They slapped Plato’s name on it for affect. It made a good point. 🙂
” I love being retired so I can immerse myself in the things I love and don’t have to worry about what other people think. ” wise and happy words!
I have reached the age of 76 and am just now realizing I had lived my entire life with a lot of “shoulds” that I could finally let go.
it’s Lovely to be retired now and to be my own Person. my view of success has never really been the mainstream. I want to be a success as a person who Listens and Feels and is Grateful to just BE! Time is like GOLD to me!
We are so lucky!
Agreed!
🙂
I’ve met a lot of “perfect people” – also known as “experts” – who can tell me where I’ve gone “wrong” real easy!
Some people do like to give advice even when they’re clueless. 🙁
Well as for the first one I believe that learning and physical activity are important and it’s what keeps us going but perfection? Is there really such a thing? We all have some kind of flaw either internal or external.
The second quote sounds like he was predicting our current situation with home schooling.
Even if perfection could be achieved I think it would be boring. 😀
I personally live up to my own philosophy…”there is a right way, a wrong way, and MY way.” What makes me happy is best. No other words spoken by others leads me.
Thanks! See today’s post. 🙂
no, I do not agree with either quote and do not think Plato wrote them.
I do think learning is important, the kind we get in school. we learn from the time we take our first scream of air when born. some are born to parents who teach them well and others are not. some of the ones taught well do poorly, the ones not taught do well.. as for perfect that is totally unbelievable. although i AM close! ha ha as for school type learning, some do better without it and some do not. not everyone needs a college education and should not be forced to get one, as we are forced to go through highschool.
When I think of education I don’t think just in terms of what we learn in classrooms. I think the present belief that people need to go to college in order to get good jobs is harmful. Especially since so many people are going so far into debt because of it. I just wish more employers hadn’t swallowed the idea.
I don’t believe Plato wrote either of those quotes either. Granted my coursed in philosophy were taken back in the dark ages but still…
I’m convinced he didn’t.
The best quote is here is what Tammy J said – we couldn’t agree more!!!
Yes! 🙂
Honestly, I’m not fond of either quote. How uncomfortable to be categorized! Indeed, Tammy nailed it!
Yes! 🙂