By: Bradley Loves
An education obtained with money…, is worse than no education at all
SocratesThe only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing
Socrates
I can not teach anybody anything…, I can only make them think
Socrates
Socrates was arguably one of the worlds greatest philosophers and thinkers. He spent his days in discussion, and sometimes even debate. He was born around 470 BC, in Athens, Greece.
We know of his life through the writings of his students, including Plato and Xenophon. His “Socratic method,” laid the groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy.
He was most well known for his brilliant debates and penetrating thought. Socrates always emphasized the importance of the mind over the relative unimportance of the human body. This credo inspired Plato’s philosophy of dividing reality into two separate realms, the world of the senses, and the world of ideas.
However…, it is HOW he arrived at his ideas that was his most famous and legendary achievement.
HE QUESTIONED EVERYTHING
Socrates never took anything for granted…, and made a “mockery” of men who would come from the far corners of Greece to “challenge” him in debate!
His method was simple. He would first get the person who was his “challanger” to state clearly, and for the record, what his BELIEF or conviction on the subject they were about to discuss was.
He would make the person even “repeat” what he believed by asking him a second time:
Are you sure… that is exactly what you believe?
From then on…, Socrates would only ASK QUESTIONS
He would simply say this:
IF what you say that you believe is true…, then this must also be true am I correct?
In the matter of an afternoon…, he would follow all of the logical or “illogical steps” and the RAMIFICATIONS of what a person said they believed, and showed them all of the problems of holding onto that belief IN REAL AND PROBABLE TERMS.
His brilliance was not in disputing what a person said they believed…, but in “showing” them the “outcome” of those beliefs…, IF THEY WERE TRUE!
He did this, by asking them honest questions, and having them give him honest answers to those questions!
Over the course of an afternoon…, after dozens or even hundreds of questions…, every one of his challengers went away admitting that they did NOT really believe what they had said they did.
Through his questions…, SOCRATES was able to show them (in public) that they held dozens of beliefs that were exactly opposite of their original stated belief.
(Thus opening their eyes to their own hypocrisy and stupidity!)
Socrates was eventually put to death (naturally)…., by the government (so what else is new)…, for teaching the youth of Athens “how to think”.
(Crime of crimes…, how dare he!)
Socrates NEVER lost a debate…, and his skills in logic were legendary in all of Greece. People came from all over the country to meet him in debate…, and ALL of them left Athens with their tail between their legs!
People then tried to “label” him as the smartest man that ever lived…, and told him so. Instead of accepting this label…, he refused it.
He said:
I am NOT the smartest man who ever lived. In fact…, I know very little. The reason I keep winning debates is that unlike other men…, I do not deceive myself into thinking that I know MORE…, than I do.
SOCRATES QUESTIONED EVERYTHING
His most important tool in discussion was looking at what other men believed…, and then asking them… to describe what would “happen” if what they believed were really true!
“IF that were true…,” he used to say…, “then this must also be true…,” because one can not be true without the other!
His questions were usually very simple…, and could rarely be argued with!
His “challengers” had NO CHOICE but to agree with him because of those men who were present at the time, and watching the debate. It may have taken Socrates many types of questions over a long period of time, all leading in an circuitous arc…, but eventually he would have the man saying exactly the OPPOSITE of what he had originally said…. by his own admission…, and by his own agreement with every other statement that led him there!
SOCRATES WAS A GREAT TEACHER BECAUSE HE TAUGHT PEOPLE HOW TO THINK!
He did not care about beliefs…, because he recognized the folly of holding onto “sacred cows” and “sacred ideas”…, in the face of proof otherwise.
Now let’s shift gears…, shall we?
ENTER CHANNELERS AND THE NEW AGE
The ENTIRE New Age community is flawed BECAUSE every “tenet” of their philosophy has been “given” to them from an Unseen Entity…, and then taken as “truth” without a single QUESTION ever being asked!
Not one of the people who “sit at the feet” of Channeled Entities…, and who listen to their words EVER QUESTIONS what the “result” would be…. IF WHAT HAS JUST BEEN SAID WERE TRUE!
Those who listen to channeled messages have totally 100 percent ABDICATED their own minds…, and refuse to “think” about what is being said to them…, or to question it by saying:
IS THIS REALLY TRUE, AND IF TRUE…, WHAT WILL BE THE END RESULT?
If the New Age community actually took time to “think” about what the Channelers are actually telling them…, and QUESTIONED EVERYTHING…, they would see the huge flaws in the teachings…, and in what is being said.
But they don’t do this!
They don’t want to think.., and in fact have abdicated their own mind and their own personal responsibility to think for themselves!
THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN WHAT USED TO HAPPEN WITH OTHER FORMS OF RELIGION!
It’s the same old pig…, in a new party dress…, with a different color of lipstick!
Almost everything the Channeling Community is putting out there can NOT be true…, because IF IT WERE…, then many other things that are in fact happening as we speak…., would NOT BE HAPPENING!
It’s that simple!
My friends THINK ON THESE THINGS!