Socrates, Plato, and the Dawn of the Guardians
by Alternative Voice Staff
"The owl of Minerva spreads its wings and takes flight only when the shades of night are falling." ~ Hegel, German philosopher
Recently I've been looking for the roots of Democracy to attempt a better understanding of what I've grown up indoctrinated in. Being a citizen under a president who is attempting to implement such a political ideology in places where it is most definitely a foreigner's concept, I want to better know what it is and where it comes from in order especially to understand why there is a serious uprising against it and what could the future hold. I was surprised to find that the generally-accepted Western notion of fourth-century B.C. Athens as the pure and noble seedbed for modern Democracy seems to be misconstrued. It is becoming more apparent that the term "Democracy" is loaded and relative; that it is stigmatized and needs honest analysis.
It was shocking to me years ago when I first read Plato's Apology and bore witness to the trial and execution of one of the West's most beloved, revered grandfathers of free thought and critical examination, Socrates. It is sobering and painful to be reminded of the ignorance and power of the mass-consciousness: that in the supposedly truest example of ancient Demokratia1, let us never forget that they put to death our brother for his outspoken viewpoints. In the same breath we should also remember that it was Socrates who fearlessly chose martyrdom by holding steadfast, without compromise, to the truth. He could have easily saved his life by simply accepting a trite fine or by leaving Athens. He viewed both as cowardly betrayal of truth and soul dignity.
"Out of Plato comes all things that are still written and debated among men of thought." ~ Emerson
The West's romantic reminiscence of the Golden Age of Athens, which denies the implications of the trial and execution of Socrates, also conveniently ignores the plain observations of his young student, Plato. In shock and grief-stricken at the execution of his fatherly mentor, Plato left Athens, in part to remove himself from danger of a similar fate. Years later Plato returned (after having had been sold into slavery by the King of Syracuse because of his influence on the King's brother-in-law) and founded his famous Academy where he wrote his lucid observations of Demokratia and other forms of government of his times.
In Athens, Plato says the Ekklesia ("people's assembly") were regarded as little more than the sheep of the Rhetores (politicians trained in the art of rhetoric), who talked the demos ("the people"—the Ekklesia), through their charisma and oratory skills, into voting for whatever they pushed. Plato became more convinced after the trial of Socrates that Democracy, as an institution of the State, was doomed to disaster. The masses can never understand what is best for the good of all, basically due to their lack of experience and wisdom, he observed. He believed that such a State based on an extreme form of Democracy would inherently draw to itself a tyrant-ruler. That gets into a whole other discussion.2
"Will they disbelieve us when we tell them that no State can be happy which is not designed by artists who imitate the heavenly pattern?"3
Thus, Plato’s lifetime work became developing the answer: the Philosopher-Kings or "Guardians," who are persons raised and developed their entire lives to step into the role of godly leadership; a class of unselfish leaders who followed a higher law. In the preparations to become qualified, the Guardians "ascend until they arrive at the good," and when they've ascended far enough, they must return to assist the people.4 In order to qualify they "must be tested to see whether the soul will be able to endure the highest [tests] of all, or will faint under them..."5 He developed a theory of abstract forms inaccessible to normal sensory perception, a whole realm that only these trained Philosopher-Kings could begin to sense and then incorporate into their discernment and decisions. They would then have the ability to perceive the difference between true and false reality. Thus, we can see a basic reasoning why to Plato those without higher training would be incapable of holding the leadership roles: they would be functioning too much in levels of unreality, unknowingly.
What if Socrates or Plato came back and ran for President of the United States? I honestly don't think either of them would if they were here, but we could use another Socrates to challenge our leaders—and people of our nation. We could benefit from another Plato to continue his attempts of implementing this vision of a divine form of governing. Socrates' most famous exhortation, "The unexamined life is not worth living," would challenge people of today even more than twenty-four centuries ago due to the modern inflation of pride, greed, lust, false loyalties, materialism, nationalism, and so forth that are conditioned in us.
We need new challenges, fresh perspectives, jarring realizations, massive shifts of thought, and creative new ways of being to bring about the vision that Plato and many others have had. We need this new class of Guardian-leaders willing to go a thousand miles and more in ascension, in order to be worthy of holding such mandates over the peoples of the planet. Are you one of these called by destiny to attempt such a challenge? If you're not, who will people look to when the times get real tough? Who will you put your trust in? Everyone needs to think about that one.
We're in a real quandary these days. There is so much warring and strife occurring across the entire planet that it's a wonder how it holds together. How much longer will it? How much further can people's sense of what is "normal" be stretched to include the increasing earth changes, international conflicts, famines, genocide, plagues, economic instability, job loss, citizen violence, and depression before a person's soul begins to sob uncontrollably?
Imagine your entire life as one vote which after your passing will be assessed. How will you have voted? For what and for whom? Now imagine this day in the same manner, and now this moment. Lots of choices to be made, and yes, tough to make the right ones at times. The owl of Minerva, the Greek goddess of wisdom, will come out when the darkness descends upon the world. The mere words of olden times couldn't save a single gnat, but the actions born of understanding just might rescue a single soul.
1 From the Greek, literally meaning "rule by the people"
2 It is an interesting note that the modern relevance of Aristotle's (the student of Plato; tutor of Alexander the Great) descriptions of methods that tyrants use to maintain their power, such as: perpetually finding excuses for wars with foreign states, to keep the masses occupied and always in need of a leader, ... See his Politics, Book V) from The Republic, Book VI, by Plato
3 ibid. Book VI
4 ibid. Book VII
5 ibid. Book VI