The Apology of a Madman – Democritus

2,400 years back, Hippocrates, a famous ancient therapist was asked to examine the great scientist Democritus because there were complaints about him that he does not behave normal and laughs strangely whenever he meets people. Hippocrates imposes questions as he tries to explain Democritus strange behavior.

Below is a part of this "examination"

Hippocrates:

“Tell me Democritus, in the name of the Gods, is everyone sick without knowing it? Can’t they go for treatment as everyone is sick, and nothing else exists beyond them?”

Democritus:

“There are infinite worlds Hippocrates and don’t consider little and limited our Nature which is actually so rich.”

Hippocrates:

“But you should teach all these Democritus in another more appropriate moment because now I fear that the idea of infinity will make you start laughing again. But now it’s the time to apologize to the community for your laughter.”

Democritus:

“You think the only causes for my laughter, is the good and the bad?

But I laugh only with man.

The man who is full of nonsense, empty of anything that is right, the man who all of its designs look like the designs of a small child who suffers the unbearable labor without any benefit.

The man who desires to travel to the ends of the earth and the depths of which have no limits, melting the silver and gold that he never stops acquiring, always making noise to acquire more, and he is even not ashamed to be called happy, while digging in the depths of the earth using chained hands, people from whom others recede the land and oppressed others forcing them to live in this hell as if it was their home, picking up silver and gold, looking for traces of dust and nuggets, lifting here and there heaps of sand, opening the veins of the earth, breaking pellets and gravel for property acquisition, making mother earth hostile, and some other times admiring mother earth, while mother earth is always the same.

Laughter causes me the fact that they love the laborious and hidden earth while they insult the obvious earth. Others buy dogs, some horses and others putting borders on a large area to call it their private property. Others, who want to have in their possession an even larger area, and can’t do it on their own, marry women who after some time they abandon, they love, they hate, they have children because they want to, and then, they abandon them altogether.

How this void of content and reckless of rush differs in anything from fury? They fight and do not want peace. Ambush the kings, commit murder, dig the earth seeking silver and when they find silver they want to buy land, and when they buy land they want to sell it, to buy again silver. How are they ever changed? When they do not have property they crave to acquire it, when they acquire it, they are trying to hide it, to eliminate it.

I laugh with all those who suffers mishaps, I laugh even more with all those who are unhappy, because they have violated the laws of truth, fighting with animosity between each other, arguing with their brothers, their children, their fellow citizens, and do all these in order to acquire things that nobody can own after his death.

They kill each other, do not respect the laws, indifferent to the plight of friends and their homeland, enriching with unworthy things and don’t have souls, they give all their property to buy statues because they think the statues speak, but they hate people who speak the truth.

They desire what is difficult, when they live inland they desire the sea, and when they live on an island they desire the mainland, and they twist everything based on their own desire. They claim to praise bravery in war, but every day they are defeated by licentiousness, avarice and other passions of which they are suffering.

So, why Hippocrates are you accusing my laughter? Nobody laughs with his own stupidity, but everyone derides the stupidity of others. My laughter condemns the folly of people, who have neither eyes nor ears.”

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As he left, Hippocrates thanked the people for inviting him and gave him the chance to meet Democritus, a man who had investigated and understood the reality of human nature.

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Source: Letters, Hippocrates greets Damagitos, Translated by George

George Protonotarios
Financial Analyst
www.Qexpert.com

One Comment:

Consider that this Dialogue took place 24 centuries back. Has anything changed between then and now? Probably not, people and their behavior remain exactly the same throughout the centuries. The only thing that really changes is technology and the way we communicate with each other. The main characteristics of our human nature remain almost the same.