Socrates & Volski

OPED

They met the other day on Rustaveli Avenue in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi by chance, right after the parliamentary election bells tolled in a new era in the land of Colchis and Iberians. But the country had not yet had a chance to fully contemplate the developments in the nation’s political future. As such, the accidental encounter between the philosopher and the politician was rather opportune, and carried a clairvoyant charge –descriptive enough to let the temporarily on-hold nation go into pertinent deliberations.

Socrates: Goodness gracious, what a propitious crossing of roads! Would my friend be willing to enter into a brief dialogue with me, making the incipient denotative alteration of Georgian politique a dominant theme?

Volski: The meditations of geniuses on my favorite subjects, especially that you have just mentioned, have always been my greatest of infatuations.

Socrates: Because my focus on subject matter is always specific, let me pose the first question: Have you finally found the way into the realm of justice that must be done?

Volski: It is my advantage to be just and disadvantage to be unjust – this is what I have learnt from the great Socrates, having turned the thought into my reigning political credo because I have always had it in my bones that the most blessed life is that of the just man and the most miserable life is that of the unjust man.

Socrates: You have well dealt with my intention to probe into your intelligence. Allow me graciously to emerge with another question of consequence without procrastination: you claim and intend to mould yourself into one of the nation’s guardians, do you not? Then, do you remember that guardians should be educated in the following four virtues – wisdom, courage, justice and temperance?

Volski: We are not young as a nation but we are still budding in politics, this being the reason for the want of extra wisdom- but we have enough courage to do justice with temperance.

Socrates: Then, why do you not engage each person in the occupation that suits him best, thus making him and others happy?

Volski: Again, I am resorting to your wisdom when saying that the power of the state that still persists should not be too much to let the people be engaged rationally, which I think will be well remembered should I find myself at the helm someday.

Socrates: Your balanced reasoning leads me to recall the judgment of a philosopher-king who must as a rule be intelligent, reliable and willing to lead a simple life.

Volski: Do I lack simplicity of life as a good family man? Or should I be borrowing intelligence from a learned scholar? You mentioned reliability? That’s my recognized forte!

Socrates: It has always been my conviction that a certain amount of unfeigned modesty would never hurt a politician in use. From what do you think tyranny is generated?

Volski: I know the pernicious sequence quite well. It starts with timocracy which grows into oligarchy that wants to have the face of democracy but the whole tandem ends up as regular tyranny. Our annals are full of evident paradigms of the sort, but I am a good learner from the mistakes of others- therefore you need not be concerned about me in this regard.

Socrates: Good enough! And fair enough, too, but I wonder if you have ever pondered the subject of a society which decays and passes through each government in succession, eventually resulting in a bunch of rotten and corrupt individuals with a voracious appetite for power and wealth.

Volski: How many times should I emphasize that I am your adherent? And a very talented and diligent student too, for that matter! Isn’t it Socrates the Great who loudly stated that we the politicians at times let our passions rule our actions or way of thinking, although they should be controlled? Incidentally, we cannot control all, and we are not even willing to control everything, hence some corrupt animals have their way every now and then.

Socrates: But you must fight the evil as fiercely as you can.

Volski: Not I, but the state! And you forget that this should be done on just grounds.

Socrates: Perhaps! On the other hand, at times power is concentrated in the hands of a strong leader and the people allow themselves to be commanded by such a superior as hates to be subject of criticism.

Volski: As my friend Socrates would put it, we all need to learn how to better our image and behavior by allowing ourselves to be subject to criticism without being hurt and by subduing our pride and ignorance.

Socrates: Attaboy! Who taught you this much in my absence?

Volski: You are never absent, my lord. You are conspicuously seated on my bookshelf. Perennially!

 Socrates – Famous Greek Philosopher, Volski – Well-known Georgian Politician

“Recorded” by Nugzar B. Ruhadze