I’m in Greece of all places. The Greeks were once the dominant Mediterranean power and then the Romans came along and the rest is history. When in Greece one person I think about is Aristotle.
Greek philosopher Aristotle who thought that the ultimate
aim of life was eudaimonia. The GreekWizard says--The Greek word eudaimonia often gets
translated as happiness. But that’s an insufficient translation. It means
that you are good (eu) with your inner daimon, which could be translated as soul or highest
Self. Basically, you are living in harmony with your soul. Your actions here in
the physical world become harmonized with your highest Self. You flourish. You
are fulfilled. Pretty deep Aristotle, pretty deep!
Here are some thoughts from our 2022 philosophers which I
don’t think have any connection to Greece, but they might that I don’t know
about. Regardless of what’s right and
wrong – not sure we’ll ever know in some cases – here are some points I want to
remind myself of: Know that you don’t
know everything; Remain open to other opinions; Get informed thoroughly if you
want to have an opinion; Don’t just think for yourself; Don’t judge too quickly
(or at all). You might be the one erring; Take time to reflect upon your
actions and non-actions. You might have to grease up your mind to get those
thoughts in your mind. haha
Traveling is a good way to learn about a lot of stuff and it is soooo much fun (i.e. at least I enjoy it). I think it’s good to see things from a different angle and it’s interesting to actually see the stuff and feel it and talk to the locals. Actually this trip is of Paul’s 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys in establishing the first Christian churches called The Way.
Maybe, if we get informed well enough, we get to decide for
ourselves what we believe to be right and wrong. And act accordingly. But I
don’t know if that is a good idea. We
sure have many different opinions in our good old U.S. and about Christianity.
Really not much different from back in the early church. Some Christian denominations
tell their members what to believe and don’t encourage the members to read the
Bible or study for themselves. But even
with that, they all don’t all agree. Paul sure had his hands full aright. The Greeks had many opinions and beliefs and
gods.
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are three of the greatest
and best Greek philosophers, maybe. I
soooo much wanted to talk to them, but I was told I just missed them by some
2,000+ years. I’m always a day late and
a dollar short. Such is life.
The Greeks and the Jews thought different and interpreted
things differently. I guess that is why
pastors have to study Hebrew and Greek.
And then there is our thinking and interpretation that is different
also (i.e. 'cause we just know). Paul on his missionary journey
tried to straighten them out but it was a task (i.e. much like trying to straighten
out the folks in Butler County). Their past environments and current environments
were different. They just didn’t agree.
I read this while eating my oatmeal with Greek yogurt on
it-- In a survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center,
nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults said they believe in heaven, but there was
widespread disagreement about how to get there. Among all Americans, nearly 40
percent said heaven will be the home of those who do not even believe in God.
Among those calling themselves Christians, 58 percent said there are multiple
religions that can lead to heaven. Paul would not have agreed with their
thinking probably.
This winter in AZ I had discussions with acquaintances who
don’t believe in Jesus as a Savior but just as a good guy. Some believe in God and heaven and etc. but
not Jesus. They say they have an Indian
belief. I think the Greeks believed differently than the Jews. At that time, the Jews thought they were the
only ones that were the “chosen people.”
Then one day Jesus says the Gentiles can be saved tooooo if they
believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Now that was a big change. Wow!
The Greeks had their gods but Paul was teaching there was only one God which
gave salvation to the Gentiles as well. Big change also. Some believed and some
didn’t. Not much difference than in our
culture maybe.
A platonic relationship is one in which people share a
close bond but do not have a sexual or romantic relationship. The concept
originates in the ideas of the ancient philosopher Plato, from whose name the
term is derived. My opinion is that many folks, when they see friends of
opposite sex together, they think they have a sexual or romantic
relationship. It ain’t always that
way. They just maybe enjoy each other’s
friendship and companionship. Don’t jump
to a rash conclusion you radical folks (i.e. the Greeks are trying to teach me
that). Who what me!
As Lucius Annaeus Seneca (i.e. he was Rome’s leading
intellectual figure in the mid-1st century CE who died 65 AD) put
it: “Let philosophy scrape off your own
faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others.”
Have a FUN day my friends unless
you have other plans. (-:
erv
MyFriendJean said—It is better to
look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.
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