Maturity and Time

In today’s times, Socrates is regarded as one of the most influential philospher in history. If he were alive today, he would be regarded as a hero and would be treated as one.  However this was not the case in ancient Greece. Socrates was too mature for his time, even though he was a citizen of Ancient Greece, one of the most influential and important civilizations in history. His views were considered to be radical and nonsensical. While his execution would be ridiculous and impossible today, there are many differences between our society and the one in Ancient Greece which made his death sentence acceptable in that time.

The lifestyle today is completely different the one two-thousand years ago.  Everything was different in those times including technology, government, policies and way of thinking. Some people might say that the people of those times were ‘stupid’ but that would be the equivalent of calling a baby ‘stupid’ for not being able to do what adults can do. Humanity was and still evolving. Our understanding of our surrounding grows each day even though we don’t realize it. If you introduce something that is too mature or extreme to someone, they obviously reject it. In fact this is shown when even the accuser does not even understand Socrates’ teachings. Socrates’ thinking was too advanced and did not make sense to the Greeks’ simple way of life. It also could not be helped that human rights were underdeveloped. The State arrested Socrates not only because of his ideas but also because of his influence on other people. They feared that their own powers would diminish because of Socrates. To the State, Socrates was just another annoying bug, waiting to be squashed.

In fact, I think our current government would be scared as well if a single man or an organization gained support against the government and if the law didn’t prohibit them, they would get rid of him to. A subtle example of this would be the presidential candidate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul. Ron Paul’s unorthodox libertarian views, such as his views in foreign policy, the war on drugs and the federal reserves, has gotten him shunned from other Republicans and the mainstream media. His growing support his undeniable but news organizations like Fox News and CNN continue to ignore him as he wins polls after polls. In this case, the opposing state would be the government, the media, and to some extent corporations. If somehow the same thing has happened in the same Ancient Greek state, Congressman Paul would not have been a Congressman but more importantly he would have been almost immediately executed. This is also taking place in a nation that prides itself in ‘free’ choices and opportunities. This is not an attempt to bash and denounce the United States but to show that even our society is corrupted and wrong. A future generation might see us and criticize how ‘stupid’ and ‘ignorant’ we were.  We just have to realize nothing is perfect and take everything into perspectives. 

What is makes a man, a man

    Recognizing a masculine object or habit is quite easy in today’s standards. In fact there are too many to name but some of the most common include being muscular, tall, hairy, beer, knowing how to fight and even to not only woo but fornicate as many girls as possible. Or at least this is what most people THINK and NEED to be. In today’s society wrestlers, soldiers and Chuck Norris are generally considered to be masculine figures. This is because these figures are defined as manly in society and the media, however I think there is many different ways masculinity can be defined as. I think the interpretation of masculinity is a personal definition. The rough definition of masculinity is having the trait of an ideal man and while Tom Cruise might seem ideal to many, it might not to others. For example, most people would say that ballet is a feminine art form but male ballet dancers are known for their strong and fit physique.  If someone wishes to be a wrestler than that would be masculine to that person however if someone else wants to be knitter, then that would be considered masculine for him.
    However society’s view of masculinity is all around from cartoons to advertisements, and it usually depicts a tall, handsome, masculine man. It is even the same way in folklore and pictures. Being surrounded by all these images makes us want to be one of them, labelling them as masculine for other men to envy. This makes it unfortunate for many men who might be short or who might not have the perfect chiselled jaws. Just like how someone might argue their perception of beauty, I think the same can be done for masculinity. If someone does not fit the society’s requirement of beauty or masculinity or is uncomfortable  with it, there is no reason to force yourself to be that way. One might argue than that might be feminine and undesirable by society which is unfavoured since being masculine as a man is a positive thing. That is why society’s view of masculinity does not represent the entire ideology of masculinity but only a certain part of it. However this only applies to physical and personal preference of masculinity which are parts that make up the ideology.
    The other important part of masculinity is the attitude. This is different from what you personally desire and prefer to how you approach it. For example if someone wants to be a fireman but is too shy or not confident enough to go through it that makes the person shy and effeminate. In the simplest terms, masculinity is about self-confidence , courage and dedication to change or accomplish what you want to do. Winston from 1984 is a great example from this as believes that his society is flawed and instead of accepting that, he tries to change what he believes is best for him and everyone. The fact that he had the courage to stand up to the most powerful organization makes him in my definition masculine. In this case, a 6 foot, 200 pound, muscular man who was too afraid to stand up and make a change to what he believes makes him less masculine than someone like Winston. Masculinity should not be about what the man looks like or prefers to do but about his self determination and bravery.