Socrates

Many are aware of Socrates fundamental effect on weastern thought, but unaware that he fought for Athens as a hoplite in many battles for his state. Face-to-face with his enemies in combat and debate, while shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow citizens risking his life for his state. This is why his 'Order of Souls' has the 'Honor-Loving Soul' only second to the 'Philosophic Soul'-often forgotten by the cloud like thinkers of our age and many others, who postulate for the high ground like they would for any other desire. This is not what Socrates was trying to say at all. This is very unworthy for our conflict avoiders extrodinarie, for there is much more to his message.       Socrates died for his ideas when he refused to run away into exile. He was wrongly said to be like the sophists( pragmatic devil advocates), when in fact they didn't like him either. Socrates was no paper shuffer either, for his ideas only come to us through Plato's writings.

1) The Philosophic Souls (Socrates’ Best Soul): Reason (or Logic) controlling Spirit, which in turn control Desire (or Emotions) Example: You get very angry with the TV because of the bias and think about punching your dog, but don’t and instead drop the channel (or never watch it again) and or send a letter of complaint to the station and not buy the products sold on the channel. 2) The Honor Loving Souls / Timocratic Souls ( 2nd Best): Reason & Spirit in equal standing controlling Emotions Example: You see the bias on TV, think about punching your dog, but instead either do as in example 1, or build your own channel based on your understanding of the spirit of those great men or gods you admire from the past and present. You place their ideas first above your own desires as directed in more detail below as described in the next Oligarchic Soul. 3) The Oligarchic Souls ( 3rd Best): Spirit controls Reason & Emotions (and uses either to fulfill the spiritual goals) Example: You build your own news channel based on your understanding of the spirit of those great people or god(s) you admire from the past and present. You place your view of the spiritual meaning of their ideas first above your own desires. You use logic or emotions to get these idea pushed through to the public at large. You will use emotionally laden stories (say a dying person to push your ideas, even if it doesn’t directly relate to your logical position). In turn you will use logic in a graying father figure newscaster and use elite language with lots of historical logical men in reference to push your spiritual vision of what your most admired in some men or a god you have faith in. You may think John Kennedy, Martin Luther King & Che Guevara are your spiritual guides or be an old English aristocrat in thinking the royal blood of your ancestors is the way through to true spiritual wealth. You may have a religious set of greats, yet what is important is not exactly what these spiritual leaders are recorded to have stood for clearly (legalism & theology), but what you think they represented in a spiritual sense (more Gnostic & faith). Thus humanists can still be spiritual lead despite saying religious spiritualism is backward. It is simply your spiritualism runs a different course, not that you don’t support spiritualism by the backdoor.  4) The Democratic Souls (Second Worst): Spirit & Reason and Emotions are all able to lead at any give time and are all in equal standing Example: You see the bias on TV, and may punch you dog, may build your own channel based on your understanding of the spirit of those great people or gods you admire from the past and present, or may drop the channel (or never watch it again) and or send a letter complaint to the station and not buy the products sold on the channel. Which one of these options you use depends on the fashion of the time, your friends, or which mood you are in if that be logical, spiritual or emotional. 5) The Tyrannical Souls (Worst): Emotions control Spirit, which in turn together control Logic Example: You think of logical ways to kick your dog and then tell everyone how kicking the dog is so rational and in the best spirit of our ancestors. If someone opposes this you deconstruct there arguments with any and all measures so you win the debate to satisfy your others desire to win. Such a person would say, “I didn’t hurt the dog in anyway, I was showing love to it but it came out wrong, anyway you are no better than me because you have emotions too.”

George Washington

Much is known of Washington in the states, but outside of generaling the American Revolutionary army and being the 1st president of the US, what did he add to the US in ideas? Well the revolution was at its most desperate non-military point with the army being unappreciated- in the form of not being paid, properly fed and more.   The Army had had enough -to put it mildly. In all the pictures of the Founding Fathers they all seem very well fed enough-too much in fact.   George the 'honorable' humbled himself before his troops 'again and again', and therefore saved the day, army, revolution and more.     If that weren't enough he turned down being king too, a offer Napoleon couldn't rise above. The best men are brave and have ideas and principles to match! They don't rationalize pragmatic selfish behavior for themseleves or their states.    There may be men with more ideas, and still others that are better generals and are constantly doing brave acts, but we need the honorable ones the most. Truth is so interconnect to honor that to try and remove one destroys both.

Pascal Paoli

Pascal Paoli was the founding father of the first republic of Europe. With the constant meddling in Corsan affairs by successive French tyrants he was out matched but never out thought.     Napoleon's mother (with Napoleon in her belly) along with his father marched along side of Pascal Paoli in one of his many campaigns  for the independence of Corsica.    Briefly embraced by the French Revolution he kept his distance, for democracy wasn't important to the French of that period, and eventually Pascal was forced out.

  

 

Saladin

The Leader of the forces defending the holy lands during the cursades- Saladin again and again showed honor in dealing with all religions, their peoples and even his enemy opponents on the battlefield. This included sending his own personal doctor to help the leader of an enemy army.    Unfortunately the Arab world was less impressed with Saladin and more with other more ruthless leaders. The west has done tributes in words and even gifts for we were very impressed by his personal character.      If the Arab world was filled with many more Saladins instead of Sadams we would probably find ourselves coming to terms with the problems there much sooner.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi not only lead Italy to independence, but he also helped free some South American countries from their oppressors as well. Again later returning to a humble profession he refused to take personal profit from his fame and never abused, outside of bloody war, his position or opponents.

Cincinnatus

When your nation calls on you to help 'Cinninnatus' is the man they have in mind. Granted dictator of Rome to deal with real threats Cincinnatus arose to the occation everytime and returned to his farm and plow on time within his mandate and no more.     So impressed were Americans with him that Washington was said to be called the Cincinnatus of America. In tributes to him military units, organizations and a city have all been set up to honor a man who simply returned to his plow and didn't grab unjust power- though it lay at his finger tips.

 

Charles Gordon

This Englishman came to the aid of Molems in the Sudan who were being set upon by fanatics- all to familiar to us today. The English government thought at the time that Gordan would be a pragmatic man like themselves and side step the slavery inducing slaughtering armies sent against him. With too little effort too late these kind of modern leaders, all to familiar to us now, thought they shouldn't get involved in the Sudan. After his fall many claimed that the region would suffer for ages to come and it certainly has.

 

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius, who became Casear of Roman, ruled in such a way that on lookers were amazed at his stoic honorable character. Having at the time to deal with the enemies on all fronts his leadership probably slowed Rome's decline for an unmeasureable time period by his actions alone.    Yet having a population, filled with weasels, concerned with circuses (as is our own) the fall could not be stopped by one man alone -even if he is Casear.     In his diaries, to himself, we see a man not concerned with almost everything our present generations seems to be concern with.    Societies rise, maintain themselves and fall on the characters of such men as Marcus Aurelius.

 

The Magna Charta Barons at Runnymede

 

What happens when your country is under attack and the leader is over reaching his power and not fighting well? Do you take this chance to grab the kingship for yourself, or simply stab others and the king in the back. Well there is another way other than the 'weasel way.' Get the other strong men together and force the king to rule by laws, and have him be limited by those laws himself. 'A country ruled by laws and not  by men' is what separates English speaking nations from all the fail practises of the past and present. Look around in mainland Europe, Asia and the Middle East and you will see the problems of rule by men. Even within our own cultures judical activism means the unelected judges know what is best over the laws.    When we glorify singers, novelists and not men of honor we are setting in motion our long term decline.  Notice how all these honorable names below are so French. Our Norman French seem better than the mainland Frenchmen.    The Normans of England came from Scandinavia via France, but they seemed to have married the honorable women of France before moving on for we have had less backstabing- while they have continued a pace. All of them are honored here for they are all worthy. For more information on these men go to the website that honors them: WILLIAM D'ALBINI     Lord of Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire d. 1236 EUSTACE DE VESCI     Lord of Alnwick, Northumberland d. 1216 ROBERT DE VERE     Earl of Oxford d. 1221 GEOFFREY DE SAYE     A feudal baron in Sussex? d. 1230 ROBERT DE ROOS     Lord of Hamlake Castle, Yorkshire d. 1226 RICHARD DE PERCY     A feudal baron of Yorkshire d. 1244 SAIRE DE QUINCEY     Earl of Winchester d. 1219 WILLIAM DE MOWBRAY     Lord of Axholme Castle, Lincolnshire d. 1223 RICHARD DE MONTFICHET     A feudal baron in Essex? d. after 1258 *ROGER DE MOWBRAY     A feudal baron in Northumberland d. 1218 ROGER DE MONTBEGON     Lord of Horneby, Lancashire d. 1226 WILLIAM MALET     Lord of Curry-Malet, Somersetshire d. about 1217 JOHN DE LACIE     Lord of Halton Castle, Cheshire d. 1240 WILLIAM DE LANVALLEI     Lord of Stanway Castle, Essex d. 1217 WILLIAM DE HUNTINGFIELD     A feudal baron in Suffolk d. 1220 WILLIAM DE HARDELL     Mayor of London d. after 1216 WILLIAM DE FORTIBUS     Earl of Albemarle d. 1241 ROBERT FITZWALTER     Lord of Dunmow Castle, Essexshire d. 1234 JOHN FITZROBERT     Lord of Warkworth Castle, Northumberland d. 1240 GILBERT DE CLARE     The Earl of Hertford's heir d. 1230 RICHARD DE CLARE     Earl of Hertford d. 1217 HENRY DE BOHUN     Earl of Hereford d. 1220 HUGH BIGOD     The Earl of Norfolk's heir d. 1225   ROGER BIGOD     Earl of Norfolk d. 1220