Life and Death - May 13, 2008

Turning Pro:
" ...someone looks down on each of us in difficult hours-a friend, a wife, somebody alive or dead, or a God-and he would not expect us to disappoint him. He would hope to find us suffering proudly-not miserably-knowing how to die." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Is knowing how to die any different from knowing how to live?

As the Oligarchs ruled Athens in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, a statesman named Theramenes was caught negotiating the struggle between democracy and tyranny. He gave a speech to the assembly decrying the brutalities of the ruling party - no moral judgment but rather that it was stupid and self-destructive to treat ones citizens as though they did not matter. Dictatorship or not, they ought not use violence as a solution to political problems. In what looked like one of those uniquely Greek moments where an issue is decided on the merits of its public explanation, he was overwhelmed with applause, the clear winner of his case. But when the jury went to deliberate, the ruling tyrant Critias ordered troops to shackle and remove him under a sentence of death.

As they dragged Theramenes through the streets, he screamed the injustice of Critias at every house and home. Him today, he cried, you tomorrow. When guard told him that he'd soon come to regret not silencing himself, he replied "Shall I not still suffer, if I do?" and continued to shame his peers for their inaction.

They handed him the hemlock, which he quickly downed - but not before pouring one out for his homies and saying "Here's to that delightful fellow, Critias." [1][2]

[1] A History of My Times, Xenophon (Penguin)
[2] Pour out a Little Liquor
UD: Pour One Out

Posted by ryanholiday at 10:47 AM

Print Friendly · Digg it · del.icio.us · StumbleUpon · Netscape

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.festeringass.com/mt/mt-tb.fcgi/2374

Comment Policy:

Anonymous comments are allowed. All anonymous comments and comments from those not registered with TypeKey are moderated. They WILL NOT appear until they are read and approved by a moderator.

It is strongly encouraged that you sign up and login with a TypeKey account. Once you do that, your comments will be immediately posted.

Comments

Please don't say "homies." Otherwise, good entry.

Posted by: anon at May 13, 2008 09:07 AM

So are you disagreeing with Frankl and saying that knowing how to die and how to live can be the same, but that may not mean "suffering proudly?"

Posted by: Alex at May 13, 2008 10:47 AM

It seems like dying with courage, principles and a bit of humor isn't all that different from most prescriptions on living.

I could be wrong, you tell me.

Posted by: Ryan Holiday at May 13, 2008 12:00 PM

I think if you can figure out how to live your life in response to your circumstances you can figure out an appropriate and congruent way to face death.

Frankl surviving the tremendous level of dehumanizing actions in Nazi concentration camps probably made him see integrity in death, and pride in misery, as the ideal.

If Theramenes had written a similar passage I wonder if he would mention "courage, principles, and a bit of humor" as the chief virtues of a condemned man.

Posted by: Alex at May 13, 2008 02:02 PM

Two concepts that I perceived from reading Frankl's book: life is a constant struggle that never ends, and that being happy is in fact not normal. We are told throughout our life that we should achieve happiness; however, this is a stupid goal, because it is unattainable and the feeling of happiness is always fleeting. What is most important is that we accept and find meaning through suffering in order to achieve what is most important: being able to live with our self.

Posted by: John at May 13, 2008 08:06 PM

John dude, you're putting too much of an emphasis on suffering. To say that suffering is the only way to find meaning in your life is shortsighted and, as Frankl puts it, "masochistic."

And in "Man's Search for Meaning," Frankl theorizes on 3 chief ways to obtain meaning in your life: 1) Commit yourself to a work 2) Have a potent relationship with a person or people or 3) Through genuine suffering. What's wrong with the other two?

Posted by: Alex at May 13, 2008 09:16 PM

There is nothing wrong with the other two. For me, personally, I find that by accepting suffering for what it is and find some meaning through it, I am no longer bothered by it, and therefore able to move on with my life.

Posted by: John at May 14, 2008 11:03 AM