Post by phantasm on Aug 19, 2018 17:59:35 GMT -6
I never do this sort of thing, but I was surfing the net and decided I had to share it here.
Found it on a site called Quora.com.
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Niklas Göke
Around 300 BC, a wealthy merchant set out on a voyage from his home in ancient Cyprus, Phoenicia, to Piraeus, a harbor town close to Athens.
Unfortunately, his ship crashed and went under, but he survived. Having eventually made it to Athens, he decided it’d be best to take some time off and not do anything for a while. Enjoying his newly found spare time, he just walked around and explored the city.
He came across a book store, went inside, and picked up a book that somehow spoke to him. Its title was ‘Memorabilia.’ In the book, a man named Xenophon described episodes of his mentor’s life and how he tried to help others. That mentor was the famous philosopher Socrates.
The merchant was so inspired that he asked the owner of the store where he could find more men like Socrates. As fate would have it, another well-known philosopher happened to walk by, so the owner simply pointed at him. The man closed the book, approached the philosopher, and they started a conversation.
Eventually, he decided to study under the philosopher’s tutelage. He never left Athens again.
The merchant’s name was Zeno. Zeno of Citium. Today, we remember him as the founder of Stoic philosophy. He taught on the Stoa Poikile, a public square in Athens, where dozens of world-famous philosophers found their beginnings.
Today, 2,000 years later, Stoicism is one of the fundamental pillars of Western history. An entire branch of education, philosophy, is built on it. We teach it to our children in schools and every month, over 300,000 adults are curious enough to turn to Google to learn more about it.
Ultimately, all of this goes back to one lazy afternoon in a book store, when a man decided to deal with life’s tough blows by taking the day off. After 20 years of learning, he finally left his teachers to strike out on his own. I’m sure he would agree that sometimes, procrastination can lead to amazing things.
Especially because, to our best knowledge, these were his parting words:
"I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered shipwreck."
Found it on a site called Quora.com.
-----------------------------------------------
Niklas Göke
Around 300 BC, a wealthy merchant set out on a voyage from his home in ancient Cyprus, Phoenicia, to Piraeus, a harbor town close to Athens.
Unfortunately, his ship crashed and went under, but he survived. Having eventually made it to Athens, he decided it’d be best to take some time off and not do anything for a while. Enjoying his newly found spare time, he just walked around and explored the city.
He came across a book store, went inside, and picked up a book that somehow spoke to him. Its title was ‘Memorabilia.’ In the book, a man named Xenophon described episodes of his mentor’s life and how he tried to help others. That mentor was the famous philosopher Socrates.
The merchant was so inspired that he asked the owner of the store where he could find more men like Socrates. As fate would have it, another well-known philosopher happened to walk by, so the owner simply pointed at him. The man closed the book, approached the philosopher, and they started a conversation.
Eventually, he decided to study under the philosopher’s tutelage. He never left Athens again.
The merchant’s name was Zeno. Zeno of Citium. Today, we remember him as the founder of Stoic philosophy. He taught on the Stoa Poikile, a public square in Athens, where dozens of world-famous philosophers found their beginnings.
Today, 2,000 years later, Stoicism is one of the fundamental pillars of Western history. An entire branch of education, philosophy, is built on it. We teach it to our children in schools and every month, over 300,000 adults are curious enough to turn to Google to learn more about it.
Ultimately, all of this goes back to one lazy afternoon in a book store, when a man decided to deal with life’s tough blows by taking the day off. After 20 years of learning, he finally left his teachers to strike out on his own. I’m sure he would agree that sometimes, procrastination can lead to amazing things.
Especially because, to our best knowledge, these were his parting words:
"I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered shipwreck."
