"Will there be no one to remind you that in your old age you were not ashamed to violate the most sacred laws from a miserable desire of a little more life?"
- The Voice in Socrates's Head, via Plato
Girlfriend, where I come from, if a voice in your head starts telling you to off yoself, you go see a doctor. But Socrates, that sistafriend stands by his beliefs like a drag queen at the Stonewall Riots. His argument goes something like this: "I spent my whole life supporting and defending the system which legally found me guilty and condemned me to death, and escaping now would mean turning my back on my life's work, my homeland, and my family, and I would be remembered forever as a hypocrite."
Since reading Crito, this SistaFriend has been trying to figure out what to do in the same situation. Does a wise sistafriend turn their back on everything to continue living? Is being alive more important than your reputation? Honestly, I don't know what I would do. I imagine that Socrates's decision was easier because he was older, but I'm still a young sistafriend. Socrates has only a few more years left to live; hopefully, I have most of my life still ahead of me.
The noble path, the one Socrates takes, isn't the one I'd take, even though I understand why girlfriend decided to die. I'd take the escape, unless I knew I didn't have much life left. In this sistafriend's opinion, life is more important than reputation, unless it's going to be one of the last things you'll be remembered for.
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