Eva

Tag: plato

  • Puma, the Cat from Atlantis

    Puma, the Cat from Atlantis

    Atlantis in our culture

    When Discovery Channel wasn’t all about garages, gold rush and auctions, I was addicted to their (light) scientific broadcasts. This is how I learned about Ancient Egypt, about the Romans, about the Maya civilization and so on. This was also my first encounter with the story of Atlantis, that magnificent city which once, 10000 years ago, existed (maybe).

    Then I saw that sweet movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). I loved Milo’s determination and  Princess Kida’s mesmerizing blue eyes. Apart from the fact that the movie has a lot of funny moments, it casts a warming light over the story of Atlantis.

    Giant fruits and scientific wonders

    Plato (c. 400 BC), the philosopher, mentions Atlantis in one of his writings. I think this is one of the oldest written references about the lost city. Some time later, the philosopher Francis Bacon has shown great interest in the discovery of the New World (America) and, consequently, in the story of Atlantis. He even wrote the novel New Atlantis in 1626. His book was published accompanied with this engraving:

    This engraving shows the “wonders” of New Atlantis, but it alludes to our lost Atlantis as well. I remember that the thing that first stroke me in this engraving was the giant strawberry. Even though in the movie the Atlanteans are depicted as average people, the general stories tell that they were actually bigger than the people in the present time. Well, maybe they weren’t really giants, but perhaps they had a really good diet and life style, so they grew taller and stronger…

    And this is how, if we continue this speculation, we reach the point where we could ask ourselves, couldn’t they also have bigger pets?

    Pets in Atlantis

    Since I’ve been following Messi’s adventures (I_am_puma Youtube Channel) I’ve been constantly amazed by how gentle and cute and what a giant kitty is, in fact, Messi.

    Messi, the Gentle Russian Puma

    Then I’ve got the idea that pumas originate in America, so I thought that maybe if Atlantis really existed and maybe if it was located somewhere between Europe and America, then maybe they didn’t have normal cats as pets, but pumas.

    And the more “maybes” I add to this forever beautiful story of Atlantis, the more I like to think that pumas were actually Atlanteans best friends / pets.

    This is a story and stories had kept our civilisations going for thousands and thousands years. They make us happier and the give us a sense of appurtenance and they also provide us with hope for a better future.

    I really like to think that Atlanteans had pumas as pets and ate giant strawberries, but I certainly don’t support that we should have pumas as pets. Messi is the exception which confirms the rule.

  • Be true to yourself – What does it really mean?

    Be true to yourself – What does it really mean?

    There are many “inspirational” quotes, but I think that most of them only sound nice, when, in reality, they are meaningless. Take, for instance, “believe in yourself”. It sounds good, it looks fancy, but, in fact, it is very abstract and impractical. Maybe it is a good quote for those who really have some psychological problems, but for the average person I don’t see the point of it.

    Be true to yourself

    I believe a good quote is “be true to yourself”. I am not sure about its origin, but it may be derived from “to thine own self be true”, a phrase in a monologue delivered by the character Polonius in Act I Scene III of Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

    Its meaning could be explained in multiple steps.

    Know thyself

    First of all you must “Know thyself”. I think this is the mother of all inspirational quotes. This aphorism was inscribed in the pronaos of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi where the Oracle was. All Greeks read it and knew it and Plato used it in his writings. This is a simple, yet perfect phrase. You must know yourself if you’re ever going to do something with your life. You must know:

    • who you are
    • what you want
    • what you can do and what you cannot, what are your strengths and what are your weak points
    • what you can do to improve yourself and your life

    There are many people who are delusional about their selves. They think either too much or too little about themselves. So this “Know thyself” quote is perfect to start with.

    Once you know yourself, you must stay true to it. There are 2 sides about it:

    • You shouldn’t pretend to be someone who you’re not. There are people who want success no matter what. There are people who would have loved to steal J.K. Rowling drafts and say it was them who wrote the Harry Potter series. There are also people who deceive in small portions, but do it regularly. They are not true to themselves. (Did you notice how all “arty” people wear a scarf around their necks? They try so hard to look like some “artists”. But then I think about Freddy Mercury who was a True artist… he was so simple, so modest, there was no “posing”, no pretending. And if you don’t have Freddy Mercury’s talent, then just don’t try to pretend you have it!)

    • You shouldn’t do things that you don’t want to do (mostly). A person who lives his life doing stuff he hates is a very unhappy person. Of course that sometimes we have to do what we don’t like, this is called compromise, we do it because it helps us gain something better, but when life consists only in events we hate, then there is a problem. You’re not true to yourself anymore.

    Being true to yourself is a good way of living. We could discuss much more about it, but I just wanted to state what I thought it was the most important about the meaning of this quote. I hope it is more clear now.

    Hugs and kisses!

    Be true to yourselves, no matter what!