How To Become a Philosopher – Marriage Week #4

by | Apr 12, 2012 | Marriage - 2012/13, Socrates | 2 comments

Philosophically speaking, it’s day #4 of Marriage Week!

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How to Become a Philosopher - Marriage Week #4

It can be interesting and fun to be a philosopher, but it’s more fun and can be very interesting to be happy.  Choose wisely.  If you already chose and ended up with a bad one, give us your philosophy in one sentence.

Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman

Quote by Socrates, who was quite the philosopher

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Fame is the Perfume of Heroic Deeds

by | Oct 4, 2010 | Fame, Socrates | 0 comments

Let’s have a ‘Fame Week’ at The Napkin Dad Daily, shall we?  I want to go through history and see how the perception has changed.  First up, Socrates.

Not much has changed since Socrates lent this quote to history.  Back in the day, the mythic stories were all about the Greek military heroes.  Epic battles for the love of a woman, the pleasure of the Gods and the admiration of the people combined with the need for land, food, slaves, power, and glory to make for military sagas on land and sea, with the resulting fame for the men who prevailed, or in some cases died valiantly in the pursuit.

But the truth is no different than it is today.  Military fame is founded on ‘heroic’ deeds, but war is a terrible and wasteful way to find glory.  Any man or woman in combat will come back and tell you, it is anything but glory they are going through. But nonetheless, heroic deeds that sometimes demand their life are found throughout military history, on good and bad sides of the battle.  

Let’s see through the week how the perception of fame over the centuries has been amended and expanded.

Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Socrates, 469-399 BCE, Greek Athenian Philosopher

The First Key to Greatness Is To Be In Reality What You Appear To Be

by | Apr 21, 2009 | Socrates | 0 comments

“The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.” – Socrates

This is the cruelty for all of us who like to talk idealistic talk, about the
world and about ourselves. It is so easy to be fooled into thinking
what we present, what we say, about ourselves is the reality. But that
isn’t always case. It takes two things that aren’t always easy to do.
One, I have to be honest, perceptive and realistic about myself.
Two, I have to be willing to let others see that real person.

The question is, what if that real person isn’t all that nice, or talented,
or great? What if I am filled with pettiness, am shallow, am
mediocre? What then? Then you are free. You are free to start where
you are, with who you are and go forward. You can’t go from the shallow
end to the deep end if you don’t even know you are in the shallow
end in the first place.

Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com