(For anyone grappling with the notion of democracy for the first time.)
Me: "So many questions, Socrates...I know,.It's your thing... the Socratic Method...You ask your students questions so they can learn to the find their own answers... I'm all about that too - I'd call it listening to the soul...but to your point about Democracy being overrated,... I'd have to be careful saying that in this day and age. Socrates: "Democracy IS overrated. I never said just a handful of philosophers should choose our leaders, I said a democracy is only as good as the education of the citizenry. How are people taught to think in your day?" Me: "Fox, MSNBC, CNN" Socrates: "Those are the names of your schools?" Me: "They're not schools, but they're what educates citizens today. They're where people learn to think,...but they're also businesses...They exist to make money which they do by telling stories on screens - little boxes with moving pictures and sounds. The more people they can get to sit and stare at their screen, the more money they make. One of the best ways to get people to watch is to frighten and anger them..Scared and mad, the people watch more...you know,...to get information they think might keep them safe from the bad guys. If you'd been told what to think and lost you inner voice,...you'd be ticked off too and look for someone to blame." Socrates: "Why three ...screens?" Me: "I guess you could call it our version of checks and balances. People can choose their screen - one teaches their viewers to fear and therefore hate what they would call, "bleeding heart, atheist, liberal flag-burning progressive morally corrupt intellectuals" and the other teaches their viewers to fear and hate what they would call heartless, christian fundamentalist, conservative, country music listening, uneducated racists. Socrates: "How's that working out?" Me: I don't think it's supposed to work out. I think it has to get bad enough before people realize their truth is not on the screen, just as it was never in their "leaders," parents, teachers, clergy, doctors, experts or idols, but somewhere deep within. I suppose that's why you were asking all those questions. Courtney A. Brown To send this note to a friend:
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"Divine" references the soul, our collective souls and the mystery of life. ArchivesCategories
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