PLATO PHAEDO (84d)

 Written by Constantine Constantinides AmphiKtyon

 These are the last hours of Socrates before he drinks the hemlock. He is sober and is discussing death with his students: “Say, tell me! Simmias. I could hardly convince other people that I do not consider what has just happened to me a misfortune, since I cannot convince you either. But you fear that I am in a more difficult position than I was in my previous life, and as it seems I give you the impression that I am inferior in divination to the swans, who when they realize that they must die, although they sang before in their lives, then sing their greatest and most beautiful song, full of joy that they are about to leave and go to the god whose servants they are. But people, because of the fear they have of death, lie about swans and claim that they sing out of sorrow, mourning their death, and they do not consider that no vulture sings when it is hungry, thirsty or cold or suffers some other sorrow, nor the nightingale nor the woodcock, which, as is well known, are said to sing mournfully out of sorrow. But they do not think that swans sing because they are sad, but because swans belong to Apollo and have the gift of divination and know in advance the good things that are in Hades, for this reason they sing and rejoice on that day (when they are about to die) much more than in their other life. I myself, therefore, believe that I am, along with the swans, a slave of Apollo and a priest of the same god, and that I have received from my master god no less divination than the swans have received, and that I do not depart from life more sorrowful than they.” Here Socrates has taken the hemlock and awaits the action of the poison. And for I have heard that it was used in euphemism, but in silence, go and endure. “Besides, I have heard that one must die in silence, therefore I beg you to be quiet and patient.”

 Comments:

 1/ Socrates considers himself the “healer” of Apollo who had given the famous oracle: “Socrates is the wisest of all men.” This oracle, as he says in his Apology, he wanted to prove in his life by testing those who presented themselves as “pretenders” that the oracle of the god is true.

 2/ The Swan Cygnus olor, together with the Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus, are the largest Cygnus species found in our country. It is large, heavy, with a high, curved neck. Its color is white, but the neck and head tend towards light cream. Its orange beak, with a black fleshy bulge, is characteristic. The black extends towards the base of the beak and the eye. The legs are almost black

 3/In Greece, Swans are more abundant as winter visitors. Then huge concentrations are observed in some areas such as the Evros Delta. When conditions are difficult they reach Crete. Several individuals, mainly young, remain here all year round. In a few areas the species reproduces naturally (e.g. Prespes, Kerkini, Kalodiki), while elsewhere populations introduced by humans reproduce (e.g. Kastoria, Agras, Corfu). The Swan nests in spring next to the water. The pair is quite protective of the nest and its space

4/ When I served in Kastoria, in this beautiful city in the north, the Headquarters is on a hill above the lake. In the winters when the lake freezes, Swans and other waterfowl come and land like seaplanes gliding on the ice. It is a sight to behold.

5/ Swans are migratory birds. In the fall they migrate to warmer places and in the spring they move to northern countries. They have the ability to “read” the sky map like the old sailors, following the sun, the stars and the moon. They feed mainly on plants such as grass, leaves, algae, cereals and less on small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, etc.

 6/ And yet there are unconscious and thoughtless people, I will not call them hunters, nor will I classify them in the category of hunters because they have environmental awareness and love for nature, so these murderers shoot and kill from time to time these beautiful birds, which adorn nature.

 7/ Solar storms, wind turbines and various electromagnetic radiation make it difficult for migratory birds because they harass and obscure their navigation systems

8/ The transition of man from life to death must take place in conditions of peace and tranquility. Those who were found in the colorful tunnel, including the writer. but for some reason they returned and did not proceed to the depths, they have a super-bright experience when you fly lightly in complete peace. The moment is sacred and it is necessary to pass the tunnel silently, as Socrates recommended

Live life as beautifully as you can and have a good old age (30/9/25)

 *Amphiktyon Major General Konstantinos Konstantinidis Author, Member of the Society of Greek Writers amphiktyon@gmail.com http://amphiktyon.blogspot.com/ https://amphiktyon.org