For a society that so openly and passionately espouses inclusion, tolerance, and democracy, a closer examination of these purported foundational aspirations reveals that we are collectively rejecting, not embracing, these qualities. To exclude those who differ with you is not being inclusive, to shun all opinion but your own is not tolerance, and to censor or marginalize dissenting voices is not democracy. Perhaps the greatest threat to our right to freedom of thought and action is our intolerance of its possession by anyone whose thoughts or actions diverge from ours.
The tale I share with you this week takes place in ancient Greece, the cradle of democracy. Despite a three-thousand-year difference, the ancient Greeks were not totally unlike our society today. They were obsessed with competition. Be it Olympic competition or public debate, the population embraced both with equal fervor. They even had their superheroes. They were called the Seven Sages. Their superpower was wisdom. They were a reminder to their people that the wiser we get, the more we should recognize our own limitations rather than those with whom we differ. It is amid this backdrop that our fable begins:
One morning, a merchant of Miletus was walking along the seashore. He noticed some fishermen straining as they attempted to pull in their large net. He stopped to watch them.
“My good men,” he said, “how many fish do you expect to draw in this time?”
“We cannot tell at this point,” one of the fishermen responded, “we never count our fish before they are caught.”
From the straining muscles of the fishermen, the merchant concluded the net sure seemed heavy. There was certainly something in it. “Yes,” he thought to himself, “surely these men are having a good haul!”
“How much will you take for the fish you’re hauling in?” he asked.
“How much will you give?” came his reply.
“Well, I will give three pieces of silver for all that are in the net,” answered the merchant.
After huddling and murmuring amongst themselves for a few minutes, their spokesman responded, “It’s a deal we have. Be they many or few, you may have all for three pieces of silver.”
In a few minutes, the net was pulled out of the water. There was not a fish in it. But, instead, tangled in the net was a beautiful golden trophy that was surely worth more than a thousand fish.
The merchant was delighted. “Here is your money,” he said. “Give me the trophy.”
“No, indeed,” replied the fisherman, “you were to have all of the fish and nothing else. We never agreed to sell you the trophy.”
They then began to quarrel loudly. Finally, one of the fishermen suggested that the matter be brought before the governor. “Let him decide who gets what,” he said.
So, they carried the trophy to the governor, and each told their side of the story. He listened to each advocate their position but could not make up his mind as to who was right and entitled to the trophy.
“This is a very important question,” he said. “We must send to Delphi and ask the oracle who is entitled to keep the trophy.
Now the oracle at Delphi was said to be very wise. People from all parts of the world sent to it, to tell it their troubles and seek its advice.
So, the governor sent a messenger to Delphi to ask the oracle what should be done with the trophy. The merchant and the fishermen waited impatiently for the answer to come. When the oracle’s reply finally arrived, this is what it said:
“Give not the merchant nor the fishermen the prize,
But give it to that one who is wisest of the wise.”
The governor was much pleased with this answer.
“The golden trophy shall go to the one who deserves it most,” he proclaimed. There is our neighbor, Thales, whom everyone knows and loves. He is famous all over the world. People come from every country to see him and learn from him. Let us give the prize to him.”
So, with his own hands the governor carried the trophy to the little house where Thales lived. He knocked on the door and the wise man himself answered it.
Then the governor told Thales how the trophy came to be found, and how the oracle had instructed that it be given to the wisest of the wise.
“And so, I have brought the prize to you, friend, Thales.”
“To me!” replied the astonished Thales. “Why there are many who are wiser than I. There is my friend Bias of Priene. He excels all others. Send the trophy to him.”
So, the governor called two of his trusted officers and instructed them to carry the trophy to Priene and offer it to Bias.
“Tell the wise man why you bring it and repeat to him the words of the oracle.”
Now, the wisdom of Bias was renown across all of the known world. He taught that all ought to be kind even unto their enemies. He also taught that a friend is the greatest blessing that anyone can have.
He was a poor man and had no desire for riches or the trappings of wealth. “It is better to be wise than wealthy,” he said.
When the governor’s messengers arrived at Priene with the trophy, they found Bias at work in his garden. They told him their errand and showed him the beautiful trophy.
He would not take it.
“The oracle did not intend that I should have it,” he said. “I am not the wisest of the wise.”
“But what shall we do with it?” implored the messengers. Where shall we find the wisest person?”
“In Mitylene,” answered Bias, there lives a very great man named Pittacus. He might now be the king of his country, but he prefers to give all of his time to the study of wisdom. He surely must be the one whom the oracle meant.”
The name Pittacus was also known throughout the world. He was a brave soldier and a wise teacher. The people of his country had made him their king, but as soon as he implemented good laws for them, he gave up his crown.
One of his favorite sayings was this: “Whatever you do, do it well.”
The messengers found him at his house surrounded by his friends talking and teaching them about wisdom.
He looked at the trophy and marveled. “How beautiful it is!” he exclaimed.
Then the messengers relayed how it had been taken from the sea, and they repeated the words of the oracle:
“Give not to the merchant nor the fisherman the prize,
But give it to that one who is wisest of the wise.”
“We present the prize to you” proclaimed the messengers, “because you are the wisest of the wise.”
“You are mistaken,” answered Pittacus. “I should be delighted to own so beautiful a piece of workmanship, But I know that I am not worthy.”
“Then to whom shall we take it?” asked the messengers.
“Take it to Cleobulus, King of Rhodes,” answered the wise man, “He is the handsomest and strongest of men, and I believe he is the wisest also.”
Then messengers went on until they came at last to the island of Rhodes. Throughout and about the capital city, everybody was talking about King Cleobulus and his wonderful wisdom. He had studies in all of the great schools of the world and it was said that there was nothing that he did not know.
“Educate the children,” was his gospel, and for that reason his name is remembered to this day.
“When the messengers showed him the trophy, he exclaimed, “That is indeed a beautiful piece of work! Will you sell it? What is the price?”
The messengers told him that it was not for sale, but it was to be given to the wisest of the wise.
“Well, you will not find whom you are searching for in Rhodes,” replied Cleobulus. “The one you seek lives in Corinth and his name is Periander. Carry this precious gift to him.”
It seemed everybody had heard of Periander, King of Corinth. Some told of his great learning, while still others spoke of his selfishness and cruelty such that it seemed that strangers admired him for his purported wisdom while his own people despised him for his wickedness.
When he heard that some men had arrived in Corinth with a very costly trophy, he ordered the messengers brought before him.
“I have heard all about that trophy,” he said, “and I know why you are carrying it form one place to another. Do you expect to find anyone in Corinth who deserves so rich a gift?”
“We hope that you are that person,” they answered.
“Ha! Ha!” laughed Periander. “Do I look like the wisest of the wise? No indeed. But in Lacedaemon there is a good and noble man named Chilon. He loves his country, he loves all people, he loves learning. To my mind, he deserves the golden trophy. I bid you carry it to him.”
The messengers were surprised. They had never heard of Chilon, for his name was hardly known outside of his country. But once they crossed the border into Lacedaemon, they immediately began to hear people shouting his praises.
They learned that Chilon was a very quiet man, that he never spoke about himself, and that he spent all of his time trying to make his country great and strong and happy. He was so busy that the messengers had to wait several days before they were allowed an audience with him.
“We have brought with us a very special trophy,” the messengers told Chilon. “The oracle at Delphi has ordered that it be awarded to the wisest of the wise, and for that reason we have brought it to you.”
“Alas, you have made a mistake,” replied Chilon. “Over in Athens there is a very wise man whose name is Solon. He is a poet, a soldier, and a lawmaker. He is my worst enemy, and yet, I admire him as the wisest man in the world. It is to him that you should have taken the trophy.”
The messengers made due haste in transporting the golden trophy to Athens. Once they arrived, though amidst a bustling metropolis, they had no trouble finding Solon. He was the chief ruler of that great city. All of the people they encountered spoke of his wisdom.
Once they had found him and explained their errand, Solon was silent awhile; then he replied, “I never thought of myself as a wise man, and therefore the prize is not for me. But I know of at least six others who are famous for their wisdom, and one of them must be wisest of the wise.”
“Who are they?” asked the messengers.
“Their names are Thales, Bias, Pittacus, Cleobulus, Periander, and Chilon,” answered Solon.
“We have offered the trophy to each one of them,” said the messengers, “and each one refused it.”
“Then there is only one other thing to be done,” said Solon. “Carry it to Delphi and leave it there in the temple of Apollo; for Apollo is the fountain of wisdom, the wisest of the wise.”
And so, it was done.
. . .
The Seven Wise Men of Greece were recognized as being the best and the brightest of their time. Each in their own way helped their country to achieve greatness, but each remembered that no matter how much they knew or accomplished there were others whose efforts were no less important and who were no less wise. They understood that the freedoms that they forged in their democracy were only as strong as the acknowledgement that it takes recognition, tolerance, and inclusion of all forms of wisdom to meld a government of the people. Each understood that no matter how much they might know, there was more they did not know. To be truly free we must first be free of any “est” obsessions. We are all wise. No need for “wisest” among co-equals. Co-equals respect each other.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. ― Socrates
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William “Bill” Bacque