The Odyssey

“ Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid .” – Albert Einstein Recently, as part of my educational program, I was required by my Toastmasters club to set up and facilitate two meetings, both with the goal of reaching consensus. Consensus on what? you may ask. Consensus on any topic of my choice. So I chose a topic which I believe is very important as it affects mostly the youth and therefore the future of our country. South Africa is plagued with alarming statistics of youth unemployment. I proposed a solution through the following statement as my chosen topic. “Introducing Rhetoric in High School (from Grade 7 At least) could solve youth unemployment challenges. The first meeting was conducted with seven members of Toastmasters International, each member was given 2-3 minutes share their views and perspective on the subject. The meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes and at the end o...

“ In a state, virtue should be the chief aim, and unless philosophers become rulers, or rulers become students of philosophy, there will be unceasing troubles for states and human at large .” – George G. M. James. You don’t need a qualification in Philosophy to be a Philosopher. In fact, this article is not referring to those philosophers who went to school to study Philosophy as a profession because they are confusing as f*ck. The primary purpose of Philosophy in ancient times was the salvation of the soul. The aim was to create a balance and harmony in the three faculties of the soul (mind, emotion and will) through the practice and exercise of virtue and wisdom. Of the four cardinal virtues coined by Plato, wisdom is the greatest. By definition, Philosophy is “love of wisdom”. On the other hand, virtue is the behavior that shows high moral standards. Philosophers were avid readers, as the definition entails (lovers of wisdom), which seems to be a reasonable and sufficient de...