BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR Now a days when people want to know about power and wealth they watch tv shows Like The Fabulous life of…. etc I will tell you this with wealth and power comes constant fear and danger …..This experience back in the day was entertained in this fashion Judge no one happy until his life is over is a familiar theme in Greek and Roman philosophical writing. [See Solon and Croesus.] One variant of this is the Sword of Damocles, which is used to describe a sense of foreboding and might translate into English idiom as walk a mile in my shoes. Heres the story about Damocles sword: Dionysius (II) was a fourth century B.C. tyrant of Syracuse, a city in Magna Graecia, the Greek area of southern Italy. To all appearances Dionysius was very rich and comfortable, with all the luxuries money could buy, tasteful clothing and jewelry, and delectable food. He even had court flatterers (adsentatores) to inflate his ego. One of these ingratiators was the court sycophant, Damocles. Damocles used to make comments to the king about his wealth and luxurious life. One day when Damocles complimented the tyrant on his abundance and power, Dionysius turned to Damocles and said, If you think Im so lucky, how would you like to try out my life? Damocles readily agreed, and so Dionysius ordered everything to be prepared for Damocles to experience what life as Dionysius was like. Damocles was enjoying himself immensely... until he noticed a sharp sword hovering over his head, that was suspended from the ceiling by a horse hair. This, the tyrant explained to Damocles, was what life as ruler was really like. Damocles, alarmed, quickly revised his idea of what made up a good life, and asked to be excused. He then eagerly returned to his poorer, but safer life.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 17:07:04 +0000