Socrates

One of the most important lessons I may have pulled away from my college experience is a statement from Socrates. He often says something like this "I know I'm the smartest man in the world because I know I do not know everything."

You see, Socrates spent a period of his life going around asking questions and causing debate. The Delphic Oracle had declared Socrates was the wisest of men (in 399 BC). Socrates spent his life testing the the truth of the oracle by engaging in philosophical debate with anyone he could. According to the story Socrates was frustrating everyone because he was doing more than just educating, he was causing people to question. Socrates often boasted that he knew "nothing" and that this made him wiser than other men who thought they knew when in fact they were ignorant. For Socrates, the point of existence was the pursuit of true knowledge. The unexamined life is not worth living.

Often times we go through life rather numb. We accept things as they are. We rely on others for sources of truth and understanding (see thoughts from my friend Mitch) and we assume at times that we already "know" (see Chris Gonzalez). These guys both hit on a chord that resonates with my life. We must not stop questioning, searching, learning and growing.