The Philosophy of Socrates: Part XI
A StoneMason:
Socrates my friend...your late...your father wouldn't be proud of you...the only thing you do wrong here is come in late,
You always talk of the birds...the snakes crawling from cobblestone to cobblestone...the waters crashing down,
When will you ever learn that work must come first...and as your boss I must punish you for your continuous disgrace to the company.
But my friend...my superior only for a few hours sake...do you not realize that silver and bulk weight of gold is not important in life?
Does the thought of losing money disgust you...replace your happiness with a sense of disregard for human compassion?
I must ask you...Do you really need to punish me for enjoying life...the fragility of every species that I cross on my way here?
Do you not know that I just helped a passerby with his lost heart that failed in the disintegration of love?
He was dressed in noble's clothes...but did you know the only source of emotional relaxation was the river's voice?
A Stonemason:
Oh Socrates...You are nothing like your father...he was such a hardworker...strived for the attention of the elite,
He gave his all to make people happy about the things he built...the temples...the houses...walls to protect from marauders,
But you Socrates...you are such a free-willed individual...you strive to give attention to nature first rather than your duties at hand,
I must simply let you go Socrates...you are no use to the company if you are to play all day rather than help us move forward.
Socrates:
Oh Mr. Boss...I must tell you that I have quit long before you fired me...I had no use anyway of this money that you speak of,
Do you have no interest in the happiness of others...the satisfaction you bring without even lifting a hammer or a finger?
There is little you will learn from this...But I will receive much in the way of personal commitment to my philosophical cause,
There is no money I seek from this day forward...Food I will seek from the forests...my life dedicated to the teaching of ethical wisdom throughout Greece,
If you were at peace with yourself for one moment on any given day...What would your soul say to your arms...your legs...your heart?
You have a blessed day my friend...and may the Gods give you the encouragement to hire someone exactly like me...to teach you what I wish I could.
--Socrates hands his sweat free hammer to his Stone Mason Superior..and with a sense of accomplishment...walks off the job site and toward Athens--
