Fear is infectious.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Nelson Mandela

The Philosophical Emperor

He who has seen present things has seen all, both everything which has taken place from all eternity and everything which will be for time without end; for all things are of one kin and of one form.
~~ Marcus Aurelius

Hobo geniuses?

"The Cynic sect...Extremely antisocial...challenged and exposed the hypocrisy of virtually all civilized institutions...distinguished not so much by their belief in certain doctrines as by their way of life - bearded, wandering, simply dressed, carrying only a pouch and a staff..."

All I could think of when I read this was "raving hobo".
You place someone like that in our modern world, you'd find that when you walk by this person, you'd just pretend they aren't there. You ignore the opinions of someone who doesn't take care of themselves, someone who is enveloped in their complete misanthropy. It's interesting that back then they were a respected "sect".

Good Character

"Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character."

~ Heraclitus

Heros

"A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men."

~ Plato

Good vs. Bad

"Are people good because they want to be? Or are they good because they are afraid to be bad? ... I think the good person will be no different from the bad person."

~ Plato

I agree with this statement as long as the situation is within reasonable bounds according to personal morals and the law. Essentially morals can only be broken if an individual holds them (and of course abides by the law). So, if that is determined then what about temptation? Does it get in the way of morals? Can it be said that selfishness does too? Why do we as humans give in to the temptation to be bad? I personally don't think that this is such a terrible thing. Being able to give in to some temptation can be a good thing depending on the situation and the context it holds. Opposed to this, I can also say that it is also a good thing to resist temptation; to not give in to what we want when we want it. Most importantly, this references back to the Greek theory of "balance" in life. Does this balance enable us to make these choices? Do we get too carried away with giving in to temptation or resisting it? These questions have to be asked by the individual at question. Only they themselves can judge this for only them.

For Freedom

A while back our class had a group discussion about freedom and the sense of independent freedom in society. What does freedom mean to you? What does it represent? These are just a few of the questions we were faced with in our discussion. Given the task of writing down a personal answer, I'm sure that each student in the class had a different one. Is freedom the right to an opinion? Is it the opportunity to speak your mind truthfully? I say it is the ability to choose for yourself. To be able to decided (for you) what is right and what is wrong. What is helpful and what is a hindrance. To make choices enables an individual to have power over their own life at will. However, making a "bad" choice versus a "right" choice all depends on the values and morals he or she has based on the people around them in life and their upbringing.
Freedom can be many things to many different people and it can be said that the true definition of freedom nothing but undecidable.

"It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either."

~ Mark Twain

Plato

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

-Plato

I really enjoyed this quote a fair amount cause it shows the difference between the ones persons say. Some people speak in order to form some sort of attention so others will notice them. This are people have no idea how to back up what they have to say or not even making sense. People who have an idea that possibly makes sense will speak and understand what the problem is. They speak because they have a assimilation of whats going on and they think about what the situation is, as opposed to someone who speaks without any knowledge whats so ever

Does Evil Complement Good?

"There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realise his conception of the beautiful."
-Oscar Wilde, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

This is my second time quoting from this book, but I could really go on forever. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde is my favourite novel, offering incredible insight into art, beauty, good, evil, sin, religion, and class.

This quote touches on an interesting philosophical concept. Could good and beauty exist without the parallel of evil and ugliness? Is it the contrast in which we discover true merit, the ability to compare that leads us to distinguish one from the other? I'm not a fan of philosophy and its roundabout tendancies, but this question intrigues me. I agree with the speaker of this quote. I believe that if we weren't aquainted with evil, then we could never appreciate the good in the world to its fullest extent.