Checking man’s greed for power

In contrast to Eastern philosophers such as the Buddha and Confucius, early Greek thinkers tried to understand the mystery of the universe. They approached the problem in different ways. The celebrated Greek philosopher Heraclitus concluded that the cosmos was governed by a divine Logos. He believed that everything came into being according to cosmic laws. Therefore, everything in the universe is held in balance.

In fact, it is the balancing of opposites that matters. According to him, day and night and hot and cold are opposites. While they help maintain the balance, there is always tension between the opposites. Good overrides the evil and vice versa. Therefore, he said everything is in a permanent state of flux or change. Good things turn bad and bad things turn good. Day is followed by night. Nothing remains good all the time. Similarly, nothing remains bad all the time.

To illustrate his theory he said, “You can never step into the same river twice.” What he meant was that the river is in constant change. Heraclitus’ theory that everything in the universe is in a state of flux runs counter to the views held by other Greek philosophers. Thales and Anaximenes believed that everything has a quintessentially unchanging essence. When he said everything is changing all the time, it is not clear whether he believed that individual things are held together by some energy which does not change.

Apparent permanence

Heraclitus’ concept of change is not what we understand today. If you study his views deeply, certain things stay the same. In other words, many things do not change all the time. There is an “apparent permanence” and a “hidden reality.” For instance, mountains and rivers have an apparent permanence. They have existed from time immemorial. However, the hidden reality is that they also change. Such changes, however, are not visible to us because we do not live long to observe them.

Heraclitus said the hidden reality cannot be grasped by the sense. It can only be grasped by “seeing” or “hearing” the Logos. The unseen design of things is more harmonious than the seen. But the harmony is created by tension. According to him, there is a constant struggle between opposite forces. It is similar to a stringed musical instrument. Although the instrument appears to be at rest, there is tension in the strings. Similarly, there is constant tension between opposite forces in the world.

If you observe the working of any country, you will note that there are opposing forces and pressure groups in every field of human activity. Although we believe that such tension is unhealthy for social harmony, Heraclitus held the opposite view. He said peace and stability in a country exist only when there are opposing forces. On the surface, what he said may look ludicrous, but on closer examination there is some truth in it.

Logos

The Stoics borrowed the idea of Logos from Heraclitus. Seneca, one of the leading Stoics said, “Events do not just happen, but arrive by appointment.” Everything that exists is connected to the Logos. Even our minds are sparks of fire from the Logos. According to Stoicism, we should have implicit faith in the Logos because the universe is a divine creation.

Christianity that came in the wake of Stoicism also professed that everything happens as a part of God’s rational plan. If you believe in this theory, there is no need to entertain any fear for the future nor do we have any reason to complain about the past or present. Then all of us can remain calm as Zeno did when all his possessions were lost in a shipwreck.

Even the modern man has something to learn from the Stoics. Today most of us may not believe that everything happens according to a divine plan. But the Stoics made an intriguing claim that our best chance of happiness is to adopt a disinterested attitude towards our own. lives. This may promote a sense of universal amity among the people.

Christianity

Stoicism probably influenced Christianity to a great extent. While the Stoics placed rational humanity at the centre of everything, Christianity placed a personal God at the centre. It is believed that Stoicism anticipated Christianity in its emphasis on the divine will.

Although there are inconsistencies in Stoicism, it is consistent with common human experience. Humans try to control their destinies forgetting the fact that they have no such control. Whether there is divine plan or not, most people will always try to amass wealth or conquer territories. No religion appears to have succeeded in controlling man’s greed for wealth, fame and power. Therefore, at least some of us should look at the stars while wallowing in misery.