Happiness Lessons: According to Socrates and Plato
Socrates, the Greek thinker, was put to death for encouraging his students to question everything from Athenian customs to their beliefs; however, his ideas did not die with him.
How does a man live a good life? And how can one achieve excellence to the utmost of their ability?
These two questions have been grappled with and grasped for thousands of years, yet no one has searched into the meaning of these questions more than the philosophers of Ancient Greece. After listening to the happiness lab podcast with Dr. Laurie Santos, the episode, Happiness Lessons of the Ancients, really got me thinking about Plato’s vision of the human psyche. In particular, my favorite analogy to explain the nature of the soul, aka the tripartite, is through the chariot allegory. This allegory reveals the true nature of man, and what must be done to achieve arete (excellence), Andreia (manliness) and, as a product of the two, eudaimonia (human flourishing).
This allegory is shared in Plato's Phaedrus, which dives deep into the human psyche. It begins with two horses that pull a chariot, one is noble, while the other is wild. The wild horse primarily focuses on fundamental desires and is obstinate, unyielding to the whip of the spur forced on by the charioteer. On the other hand, the noble horse does not need to be tamed as it embraces honor, temperance, and modesty. No whip is needed on the horse of nobility, but rather words and admonition help to guide him.
While immortal charioteers have two immortal horses and are gracefully able to achieve happiness, it is not the same for mortals. In fact, a turbulent ride for mortals proceeds because they have to deal with both forces of a noble and wild horse. When the noble horse wishes to rise and achieve happiness, the wild horse pulls the charioteer down. Hence, glimpses of this goodness are seen but not maintained because of the opposing pulls in opposite directions.
So how do we interpret this analogy? All components: the chariot, the charioteer, and the two contrasting horses represent the soul. The charioteer symbolizes reason, the wild horse represents appetite, and the noble horse stands for spiritedness. Aristotle saw each of the components as separate forces that cause a man to think and act a certain way. Each factor has its own individual purpose and vision: Reason seeks knowledge and truth, appetite seeks food, sex, and material wealth, while spiritedness wants recognition and honor. It is important that a man trains the forces of his soul and understands the nature of “his horses” because utilizing each horse's strength will help to reign in their weakness.
So how do we find the “golden mean” when we have an intimate acquaintance with our appetite? A hedonist is a man who is completely driven by his appetites. He does not look to reign in the wild horse but rather wholly indulges himself and strives for nothing higher than to get drunk, make money, and have sex. Without reigning in the wild horse disaster entails. On the other end of the spectrum is a prudish man. One who deems partaking in any kind of pleasures as sinful, evil and troublesome. He bottles up his desire for pleasures and as a result like that of a hedonist also has a downfall. The “middle way” is the between of the two extremes. A man resembles this middle way when he makes room for pleasures but is able to put them in their proper place. In other words he finds virtue in his vices. Examples of this can be appreciating making money but not making acquiring it a central aim. Another instance is thoroughly enjoying sex but through the virtue of commitment and love. In general, when the dark horse is properly directed and trained one is able to get closer to living a more happy fulfilled life. When our desires for pleasure are practiced with discretion we will be able to lead a fulfilling and balanced life. When one partakes in creating this balance greatness is achieved. When it comes to the desire for money if one works on creating balance they will find themselves achieving success, independence, and recognition. If lust is properly directed it can lead a man to commit and love. Practicing minimalism can also help us train and reign in the wild horse. Purchasing materialistic items in hopes that it will make us happy oftentime leads us to wanting more which seems to never be enough. Minimalism is an important skill to hone because it allows you to create your own happiness by training yourself to get rid of negative aspects in your life that only bring you down. All in all, the wild horse has a nature to it which can be used for both good and evil. Therefore, it is up to us to take a hold of the reins and create happiness in our lives.
13 YouTubers You Need To Start Watching, ASAP
Whether you have twelve minutes or half an hour, like true crime or travel vlogs, YouTube is the place you should be.
With hundreds of thousands of content creators out in the YouTube universe, I only thought that it would be right to name a few that are actually worth your time. YouTubers come in all shapes, sizes, and genres. Most YouTubers fit into multiple molds so when you find a good one it is worth it to stick with them, and dare I say, turn on notifications. Here are thirteen of my favorite YouTubers!
1. Ellen Fisher
Ellen has a well around channel with videos ranging from vegan cooking, lifestyle to gardening. Her videography is unmatchable as she spends her videos centered around nature and her family. If you ever need a relaxing video to put on right before bed, Ellen Fisher is your gal.
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall's channel is centered around conspiracy theory videos and true crime. Her videos and articulation in them keep you grounded while your head is full of all this new information. Her videos always hold every piece of information holding no gruesome detail back, lasting at least half an hour. Her videos are the ones you watch when you have time to sit and soak the crime in.
3. Levi Bernhardt
Levi's videos are videos you would expect to see from your home videos from 5th grade. His editing style is just comedic gold, and his vlogs are never disappointing. He recently moved to Korea and the amount of footage he has shot has doubled. Nothing but applause for this man right here!
4. Cut
A more popular channel, Cut is known for its masterpieces such as fear bong, truth or drink, and blind date episodes. their content ranges in time but is consistent when it comes to entertainment. Subscribing to Cut's channel will fill your subscription box with nothing but ready to watch videos.
5. KKandbabyJ
This family vlog channel always can put a smile on my face. Keren and Khoa have three adorable little boys, and a wedding on the way. Their channel shows the realness of family and how not every day is going to be the picture perfect day. They both also have their own separate channels and do other types of videos there as well. A great family vlog that shows a little diversity in the YT realm.
6. Michelle Reed
Michelle is the perfect guide to living in your early twenties and navigating life, school, relationships, and religion. Based in New York City Michelle discusses heavy topics from heart break to mental illness. She isn't afraid to show her "weak" side to her viewers and always finds the positive in situations. Michelle's channel will leave you with a calming sense, and relaxed demeanor.
7. Kristin Johns
Kristin's channel always makes me leave feeling warm, if that even makes sense. Her videos have a range consisting of lifestyle, relationship, health, religion, and my favorite her love for plants. Her plant videos always give me mad inspiration to go on a shopping spree. Also, she has two golden retrievers, Camper and Honey, who make appearances in her videos adding a wonderful bonus.
8. Wear I Live
Jenny has opened my eyes to the life of living in New York as a twenty-something-year-old. Her videos are always beautifully put together and her style is something I have never seen before. Jenny spends her time as a student but also talks about body image issues and how the standard of beauty needs to be thrown out the window. She also has great random videos that make you feel like you are right there with her in her little apartment.
9. Best Dressed
Ashley has videos that talk about her open sexuality and her body, along with killer thrifting and fashion videos. She always keeps it real and gives you the advice you wish your mom gave you years ago.
10. Tess Christine
The amount of time that Tess spends on her videos speak volumes in the end. Her perfect editing style and amazing camera shots show that hard work and dedication pay off. She makes mainly fashion videos but her travel videos are always breath taking.
11. April Athena 7
This mom of two has nothing standing in her way. April has multiple channels including ones for baking and cleaning. Her cleaning videos are what drew me in, in the first place. Her encouraging voice and dedication ot cleanliness may not be for everyone but these videos reduce my stress and are great for putting on while you clean up around your room, or even go full April and clean for eight hours straight.
12. Niomi Smart
Niomi's channel is one of the best lifestyle channels on YouTube. Her videos have a broad spectrum from travel vlogs, to skin care, and clothing reviews. Niomi has a very mellow attitude that will end up leaving you binge-watching her videos. She also has an English accent so what's not to love?
13. Cody Ko
This wouldn't be the best YouTubers to watch without Mr. Ko. Cody has over 200 videos that are nothing but pure geniuses. The fact that he not only roasts other people but mostly himself make his videos worthy of a shoutout. His videos are videos that end up on twitter and go viral only to be repeated by people on the daily. Ever heard of "too much nic?" yeah it was this guy (along with Noel).
After all of this is said and done, if you made it this far drop a like, leave a comment, and I'll see you guys next week! *hand goes over camera lens like every early vlogger in 2010*