Wandering in Darkness, Searching for the Light
Searching for the Good Life is like wandering through a maze with countless routes: both can provide a false sense of hope at every turn, both can be frustrating and both provide a great sense of fulfillment upon reaching the end. In the same way that there may be setbacks along the path out of the maze, there may also be difficulties in reaching the Good Life. Although we would like to attain the Good Life without difficulties or obstacles, Croesus and C.S. Lewis suggest we may sometimes need to endure hardships in our process of becoming happy and achieving the Good Life.
In The History by Herodotus, Solon’s encounter with Croesus illustrates the bittersweet nature of ignorance, and demonstrates how ignorance can hinder one from reaching the Good Life. Croesus exemplifies a man of pleasures, a king whose every desire for …show more content…
The decision to stop the expansion was not the result of Croesus selfishly wanting to ruin another ruler’s fortune; rather, it could have been that he wanted to protect his nation and people. After the Persians overpower and imprison him, Cyrus set Croesus on a pyre with the intent to burn him alive (Herodotus). At this moment, Solon’s words of advice came back to Croesus. After telling Cyrus of Solon and their conversation, Cyrus realized Croesus is a good man and calls off the execution (Herodotus). If simply telling Cyrus of Solon’s advice called of his execution, Croesus’s personality must have made a significant impression on Cyrus. Cyrus recognized Croesus as a man worthy of respect rather than the greedy and ignorant ruler he initially was. Without realizing it, Solon’s words made Croesus aware of his ignorance and had helped him transform. Through suffering, Croesus overcame the obstacles in his path and achieved the Good
Searching for the Good Life is like wandering through a maze with countless routes: both can provide a false sense of hope at every turn, both can be frustrating and both provide a great sense of fulfillment upon reaching the end. In the same way that there may be setbacks along the path out of the maze, there may also be difficulties in reaching the Good Life. Although we would like to attain the Good Life without difficulties or obstacles, Croesus and C.S. Lewis suggest we may sometimes need to endure hardships in our process of becoming happy and achieving the Good Life.
In The History by Herodotus, Solon’s encounter with Croesus illustrates the bittersweet nature of ignorance, and demonstrates how ignorance can hinder one from reaching the Good Life. Croesus exemplifies a man of pleasures, a king whose every desire for …show more content…
The decision to stop the expansion was not the result of Croesus selfishly wanting to ruin another ruler’s fortune; rather, it could have been that he wanted to protect his nation and people. After the Persians overpower and imprison him, Cyrus set Croesus on a pyre with the intent to burn him alive (Herodotus). At this moment, Solon’s words of advice came back to Croesus. After telling Cyrus of Solon and their conversation, Cyrus realized Croesus is a good man and calls off the execution (Herodotus). If simply telling Cyrus of Solon’s advice called of his execution, Croesus’s personality must have made a significant impression on Cyrus. Cyrus recognized Croesus as a man worthy of respect rather than the greedy and ignorant ruler he initially was. Without realizing it, Solon’s words made Croesus aware of his ignorance and had helped him transform. Through suffering, Croesus overcame the obstacles in his path and achieved the Good