Saint Augustine Vs. My Own Personal Experience

So while listening to lecture last week, I was reminded of a situation that happened at work. I work at a high school in Missouri City with a program called AVID. It is designed to help students get into college and bring up their grades. I tutor the students and we go on college tours and fill out college applications, FAFSA, and prepare them for the SAT. A majority of the students come from underprivileged families, which means most of them can be hard to handle at times. There had never been any problems on any of the college tours and usually we keep the kids in a hotel overnight. Well last October our seniors went to Dallas to visit Baylor, North Texas, and UT- Arlington. It was during the State Fair and there were a lot of “weird” looking people staying at the hotel we stayed at. Well the second night we were there, some of the girls decided to ask a couple of older guys that were staying at our hotel for some alcohol. Now these guys were guys that I would look at and say, “ummmm I’m scared. Let’s go right now.” The girls got caught and got sent to an alternative school. These girls were not bad girls at all. They all played a sport, they were all seniors, and they all had full ride scholarships to a college. The opportunity was there, however, so they felt they had to take it. It wasn’t the drinking that pleased them, it was the thought of breaking the rules and not getting caught that they loved. Just like St. Augustine says in book 2, chapter 8 paragraph 16, “ but my pleasure lay not in the pears: it lay in the evil deed itself, which a group of us joined in sin to do.” This quote is exactly what the girls were thinking. If a group of them did it, they would be seen as so cool for getting away with it. Like I said, they were not bad girls and most people that sin are not “bad” people, they just do things for the pleasure of sinning. God set rules to keep people in order. If there were no rules then there would be nothing but chaos. I doubt that the only reason God made up rules was to keep people happy. Rules are not what make people happy. The order that the rules bring about keep the people happy. The girls on the AVID trip were pretty happy with themselves that night before they got caught. If they would not have gotten caught, they would have been bragging to everyone in school about it the next day. However, once they knew they were going to be in trouble for going against the rules, their attitude completely changed. The funny thing is, they were trying to blame everyone else except themselves for what happened. People are always going to sin because of the pleasure they feel that they will get from it but that does not make it right.

Saint Augustine :D

Saint Augustine believed that rules were set up by God to make keep people happy. If people went against the rules they wanted to be unhappy. I doubt that is why they go against the rules. People do not want to be unhappy. They just want to see what will happen if they break the rules. Some people do things they are not supposed to do just because it is against the rules. It makes them feel good to know they broke the rules. Just like Saint Augustine said in chapter 6 paragraph 12 “For if I put any of that fruit into my mouth, my sin was its seasoning.” The fruit is supposed to be like the forbidden fruit and he ate it and it tasted so good. Forbidden fruit tastes better than regular fruit because when you eat it, you are breaking the rules. Saint Augustine also believed that people only do things because they know they are wrong. It brings pleasure to know you sinned. I do not believe this because of course people know when they are sinning. They just do it for fun or for the excitement that comes along with going against the law. In chapter 6 paragraph 13 Saint Augustine states, “Curiosity pretends to be a desire for knowledge, while you know all things in the highest degree”. This basically means that you do things because you are curious, but you know it is wrong. Curiosity pretends to be a way to get knowledge, just so people will do it. Or that’s just an excuse they use to try and get away with it. Everyone sins but some people just go overboard to see what will happen if they do it. It brings pleasure to most sinners to know they did something they weren’t supposed to. Another one of Saint Augustine’s beliefs it that when you sin, you are only harming yourself. Well duh! Haha I do not want to sound rude or anything but yes that it true. In our eyes, yes they are doing wrong so they need to be harmed. In their eyes, they are sinning for pleasure. I just do not see how people can go around and just sin. Some people steal or kill just for the fun of it. None of that is fun to me and I believe that no one in his or her right mind would think it was fun either. I would never even think twice about doing any of that stuff. I know it is wrong and I have never even been curious about what would happen if I did sin. People grow up knowing the difference between what is right and wrong and no one can tell me that they do things just to get pleasure. How can sinning bring someone pleasure anyway? Well like I said there is no way they can be in their right mind. They have to have something wrong with them. Or just not believe in God.

 

 

 

Aristotle Vs. Simba <3

I know most of you guys are going to make fun of me because of this, but as I was listening to the lecture about Aristotle the only person I could think of was Simba. Yes, the Simba off of The Lion King. Don’t ask why this just happened to be the movie I thought of because I really could not give you an answer. In the very first sentence written by Aristotle in Book 1, Chapter 1, he states, “the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim”. When Simba was little his dad, Mufasa, told him that the stars were all the previous kings and that they were always watching down on him. Mufasa also told him that one day Simba would take over and become king of the land. Of course Simba was sad, but he also knew that was his duty and he needed to aim for that. He knew this was the chief good he needed to obtain. He learned to obey his father and learn how to roar and hunt so that he could come closer to this goal. However, his father died and he ran away. Simba discovered a different chief goal and it was just to be happy and live life. “Hakuna Matata” means “no worries” and that’s what he lived by until Nala came back into his life and brought him back to reality. Rafiki was like the philosopher in the movie. He knew everything and was very wise. He helped Simba realize what the chief good in life was and what would truly make him happy. Simba went back to the pride lands and fought for his spot as king. Of course he won because it’s a Disney movie. hahaha The point is Aristotle knew everyone had a chief good they were aiming for and Simba’s was to become king after his father died. He killed his own uncle in order to reach that chief good. I know this probably isn’t the best comparison of Aristotle to pop culture but for some strange reason, this was the best comparison I could think of. Like I said, fate plays a big role but it is up to choices to make it happen. If you have ever watched The Lion King, (of course you have) you remember the part where Nala finds Simba on accident because she was looking for help. She tries to get him to come back to the pride lands and he won’t go. She then mentions that fate brought her there. Fate brought her to him because he was obviously the only person that could help. At first Simba would not go. Then he had a talk with his father and realized he needed to. Sure, it might have been fate that Nala ran into Simba, but if it wasn’t for Simba making a choice to go back it would not have happened. No matter how much faith you put in God to lead you to happiness or your chief good, it won’t happen unless you work towards it.

 

Aristotle :)

Aristotle believes that your actions are what lead you to what you think is happiness. Everyone’s definition of happiness is different. I agree more with Aristotle because yes you should have a close relationship with God but you need to work to make things happen. Some people just focus on fate, “things happen for a reason”, but life is full of choices and the choices you make decide what will happen. God cannot give you whatever you ask for, He can only make you how he wants you to be. I believe if you put your faith in Him then he will put you in the right direction to make the right choices and lead you to a road of happiness. I want to be a doctor one day and I have faith in God that he will lead me in the right direction but I know I need to work hard to obtain that goal. It won’t just come to me because I want it. I come to class everyday so that I can succeed in college and get my degree. I want my degree so that I can start medical school and become a doctor. I want to be a doctor so that I can help people to get better. That is my definition of happiness. Aristotle states in Book 1, Chapter 8, line 1098b22 “happiness has virtually been defined as a sort of living well and doing well.” To me, happiness does not come from how much money someone has. You could have all the money in the world and be the most miserable person in the world. Money comes with problems. I just want to live comfortable and have a family that I know loves me. As long as I know I saved a life I will be happy. God watches and He looks at your actions. If you are humble and appreciate everything you have, He will bless you in life and make sure you are happy. I have just always been brought up to respect everyone and help the people that can’t help themselves. By doing this God will bless me and make me happy. Don’t do things just to make yourself look better, do them for the good of others. I also know it is all about how people are raised. Most wealthy families only think of themselves and fake being happy but they aren’t. They raise their children to only think of themselves and to make sure they know how to keep their money. They want to stay rich. However, middle class families work hard to live comfortably so they appreciate things more. They are also more generous because they know God will bless them and help them become happy. I guess what I’m trying to get to here is that just because you put all of your faith in God to make you happy does not mean it will just come to you.  You also have to work at it and make good choices along the way.

 

Socrates vs. Dumbledore

When we were going over the Apology by Plato, one person popped into my head. Dumbledore from Harry Potter. He is a very wise wizard and fears nothing. Socrates was a teacher and he loved sharing his knowledge with people. So was Dumbledore. Dumbledore was also very wise and was considered one of the greatest wizards of all time. Socrates was also very wise. The one thing that really got my attention was the fact that Socrates is not scared of death. Neither is Dumbledore. In the sixth book, Dumbledore dies. He is killed by Snape, which is weird because he trusts Snape with his life. Harry does not understand why Snape would turn against him. However, in the seventh book the truth is revealed that Dumbledore told Snape to kill him. It had been planned for awhile but no one knew. Socrates did not plan to die but he had a choice to either be executed or exiled. He chose to die, which is kind of what Dumbledore did. Socrates was not scared to die. He felt no one could harm him when he was dead. Dumbledore was not scared of death either. You could just tell by his actions. He was put in so many situations where he could have gotten seriously injured or died but he did not care. Death was not something he was scared of. The Death Eaters, which is the Dark Lords followers, were somewhat like the government in Plato’s Apology. The only difference is that the government is not evil and they are just enforcing the laws. The death eaters, on the other hand, are very evil and love to kill and torture people. Dumbledore was a very good guy and fought against the Death Eaters to try and bring peace to everyone. By choosing death, Socrates and Dumbledore are just alike. Dumbledore is no philosopher but he is loved by everyone because he is so honest and believes in always doing the right thing, Crito told Socrates that he needed to live so that he could teach his children. Socrates said that he isn’t going to escape just so he can teach his child how to do wrong because by escaping prison that is all he would be doing. The one person that Dumbledore looked at like a son was Harry Potter. He has been watching over him since he was born. Because Voldemort is after Harry, Dumbledore felt like he needed to protect him. He basically died to protect Harry, even though now that he is dead Harry is without protection. Harry was like Crito and used to tell him that he needs to be careful or else he was going to get killed. Harry would go with him on trips to find out information on Voldemort because he wanted to be there to protect Dumbledore. Everything Harry knows, he learned from Dumbledore. Dumbledore would not have decided to die if he did not know that Harry would be fine without him. Just like Crito and Socrates, Crito did not want Socrates to die but Socrates knew he had to do it and he knew that his children and Crito would be fine without him.

 

Crito by Plato

In Crito by Plato, Socrates is in jail waiting for a ship to pick him up so he can be executed. His friend Crito came to visit and had an idea that he should escape from prison. He listed a whole bunch of reasons why he should and told him that all they would have to do was pay off the prison guards to let him go. This is just a bad idea. Sure they will escape, but where will they go? Crito suggests he go to Thessaly because he has friends there that will keep him safe. Even if he did go there, what if he did get caught? Socrates would be in even more trouble with the government. Socrates did not like this idea either. He lectured Crito, saying that he was only looking at the present and how good it all sounds right now. Socrates had a choice to either be exiled or executed. He chose to be executed because he could not stand to live somewhere else. He had never left the city before. Death was an easier choice for him because he was not scared of death. Crito mentions that the ship should be arriving today, which means he will be executed tomorrow. Socrates says he is wrong, the ship will come tomorrow and he will be executed the next day. He said all of this because of a dream he had of a woman, which could symbolize and angel, telling him that the boat will arrive tomorrow and he shall die on the third day. Socrates also made a comment about doing wrong. He knows he did something wrong, so why would he run from it? The government gave birth to him, raised him, and taught him so why would they accuse him of something he did not do. He put himself in the government’s shoes and proved to Crito that two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because the government is punishing him does not mean that he needs to rebel against them and run away. Socrates chose his punishment and if he didn’t want to die than he should have chosen exile. I don’t think Crito meant any harm in what he was proposing to Socrates. He knew it was wrong, but Socrates is his best friend and he did not want to see him die. He also told Socrates that he did not want to ruin his reputation and not try to get him out. He did not want people to say that his money was more important to him than his best friend. At the end of the dialogue Socrates states “Let it be then, Crito, and let us act in this way, since this is the way the god is leading us”. The way Socrates says this makes me believe that he believes in a higher being but not necessarily the God we know today. Socrates does believe in a god though. This means that everything happens for a reason. Apparently this is what the god chose for him, so he is going to just let it happen. He is not going to fight it and he does not want Crito to fight it either. If Socrates is content with the consequence, than Crito needs to be too.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!