I'm fascinated by Plato's theories... Could we function without rulers? Or is the solution with folks who have solutions and are thinking about the future without material connections? Hmmmm... Anything is better than the #ShipOfFools!

#Plato on #Democracy, #Tyranny, and the Ideal State

What would Plato have to say about today’s democracies?

Updated June 24, 2024

"Having experienced the limits of both #tyranny and democracy, Plato sought to devise another and better system of government. In the Republic, which in my view is nothing more than a thought experiment, he conceived of an ideal state ruled by a small number of people selected, after close observation and rigorous testing, from a highly educated elite.

"These so-called guardians would not hold any private property. Instead, they would live together in housing provided by the state, and receive from the citizens no more than their daily sustenance. In spite, or because, of these deprivations, the guardians would be the happiest of men. Were a guardian to become ‘infatuated with some youthful conceit of happiness’ and seek to appropriate the state to himself, he would have to 'learn how wisely Hesiod spoke, when he said, ‘half is more than the whole.’

"For Plato, if a person is to give good advice on the highest affairs of state, he or she must have expertise in justice, which is a part of virtue and self-knowledge. The person who rushes into politics without having found self-knowledge falls into error and makes himself and everyone else miserable. He who is not wise cannot be happy, and it is better for such a person to be commanded by a superior in wisdom.

"The #tyrant, who is the most #unjust of people, is also the #unhappiest. The tyrant is constantly overcome by lawless desires which lead him to commit all manner of heinous act. His soul is full of disorder and regret, and is incapable of doing what it truly desires (this is similar to Socrates' notion that a bad person is, in fact, not himself). The life of the political tyrant is even more wretched than that of the private tyrant, first, because the political tyrant is in a better position to feed his desires, and, second, because he is everywhere surrounded and watched by his enemies, and becomes at first their prisoner and at last their victim. [Sounds like Trump to me!]

"The best and most just of all rulers are those who are most reluctant to govern, while the worst and most unjust are those who are most eager. Therefore, if the state is to be well ordered, it must offer another and better life than that of ruler, for only then will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in #virtue and #wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. And the only life that looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy."

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201607/plato-on-democracy-tyranny-and-the-ideal-state

#ShipOfFools #Socialists #Philosophers #Autists? #JustSaying...

"On waves of love my heart is breaking
And stranger still, my self control I can't rely on anymore
New tide, surprise, my world is changing
Within this frame an ocean swells behind the smile, I know it well

Beneath a lover's moon I'm waiting
I am the pilot of the storm, adrift in pleasure I may drown
I built this ship, it is my making
And furthermore, my self control I can't rely on anymore

I know why
I know why

Crazy on a ship of fools
Crazy on a ship of fools
Turn this boat around, back to my loving ground
Oh, no, oh, no

Who claims that no man is an island?
While I land up in jeopardy, more distant from you by degrees
I walk this shore in isolation
And at my feet eternity draws ever sweeter plans for me

I know why
I know why
See Robert Plant Live
Get tickets as low as $130
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Why
Robert Plant
At The Beach, In Every Life
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Head Over Heels / Broken
Tears for Fears
Crazy on a ship of fools
Ah, crazy on a ship of fools
Turn this boat around, back to my loving ground
Oh, no, oh, no, ship of fools

Turn this boat around, back to my loving ground
Oh, no
Crazy on a ship of fools
Oh, crazy on a ship of fools
Turn this boat around, back to my loving ground
Oh, no, oh, no, ship of fools"

- #ShipOfFools, #RobertPlant, 1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPyPT7fb0-Q

#FridayNightMusic #FridayNightMusicVideos #FridayNightJukebox #NowAndZen

I was shopping at the local grocery store, which is small and locally-owned, but that carries lots of healthy options, including local produce and a small organic section. The lack of pretension there makes me comfortable shopping in my pajamas and wearing my mask (several of the employees always wear masks). I froze in my tracks when this song came on the piped music. Not sure how I feel about #WorldParty being part of the piped music industry, but on the other hand, it pleased me to hear this song at the store...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2nCugGQZO0

#WorldParty #ShipOfFools #Oligarchs #TurnThisShipAround

@staringatclouds She had resigned. Then secretly manipulated & soldiered up people, using lies. Then rejoined nonprofit only to hijack board meeting on Sunday - knowing my partner was working out of town & unable to attend. All of this toxic & unethical shit isn't how any decent nonprofit society operates. They literally gave control to a lying bully on a vengeful ego power trip; who is trying to punish my companion for enforcing his personal boundaries & refusing to let her keep attacking me out of jealousy. Never trust anyone who lacks humility, lies without blinking & uses manipulation to fool others.

Fucking disgusting person💩🗑
Fucking foolish folks who opted to side with & reward a toxic manipulator 🤮

#Nanaimo #Ladysmith #Yellowpoint #Liars #ToxicPeople #ManipulativePeople #ShipOfFools #Cowichan #VancouverIsland #Bullies #FuckThesePeople