Ah, Clarity

For the extent of the book we have read up until book eight, I have struggled to see the point in a lot of this. I didn't understand how the just city was going to help us find justice in the soul and how having debates about one topic for an entire class period or for an entire chapter was going to help us reach our final destination, if that is even our final destination. The reason why I question if it is in fact our final destination is because I am starting to get small things out of this book that are benefiting me without reaching that destination. I would be content as of right now if we stopped reading this book because of what I have learned, but I look hopefully forward to the rest of the book expecting to learn even more.

Clarity came to me as I read book eight. Book eight deals with all the different forms of government. This, in all honesty, would be the last place I would expect to see anything relate to myself because I despise politics, but as I read about these different forms of government and how they would affect the city, I began to see how they would apply to my soul.

For me, one of my greatest personal struggles is balancing out my desires with my morals, or applying my conscience and sense of self-control to my life. When I thought about how tyranny, a timocracy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, a democracy, and other forms of government, I realized that there were pros and cons to these different forms of government--especially when applied to my soul. Out of aristocracy I can pull goodness and justice, but realize my depravity. Out of timocracy I can pull honor, but lack the obsession for it. Out of oligarchy I can pull parsimony, but not let it become my idol or become vengeful. Out of democracy I can pull all of the voices of my heart into one right choice for a decision, but look out for selfishness and conceit.

It takes a blend of these forms of government to guide the soul in the right direction. This list goes on and on. This is one book in The Republic that has had a lot of application for me. I hope it continues to be like this for the rest of The Republic.