Have ever studied Socrates and Plato?
I have, but that was many, many years ago in my senior school days. Honestly, I barely remember anything from my philosophy and logic classes save the names of these two famous philosophers. And, I do remember my teacher; she had such a sharp look and loud voice, which made no logical sense in a philosophy class.
This quote crossed my path today and stirred some old memories.
I don’t think I have shared anything before about my decision to join the humanities section for my final high school exams. Have I?
Back then, my teachers, surprised by my decision, told me I was choosing the easy path because I was doing well in sciences. But, simply put, and with a bit of alteration to Socrate’s quote: I know that I know what I wanted to study.
I could have followed most of my friends and joined the sciences section, but I didn’t share their dreams. Most of my school friends had their eyes and minds set on becoming doctors or engineers. Yes, those were the high aspirations for my generation, wrapped in glimmering prestige and the promise of steady, respected status.
But I loved languages and literature. I didn’t bother so much about geography and history. I found philosophy and logic intriguing. Years later, I can see how I made the right decision. But that’s the story for another time.
Now back to Mr Socrates’ quote. Of course the great philosopher wasn’t talking about life choices. He didn’t mean to encourage us to go astray under the “don’t know” banner. Nor did he mean this casual “I don’t know” that children nowadays use as an easy reply for any question. The poor man might have abandoned philosophy altogether if one of his students had given him that “I don’t know” answer.
Simply, he meant that the more you learn and know, the more you realise there are still other things you haven’t heard of.
In other words, be humble, be curious, and be ever learning.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 