Reading: Heraclitus

This is certainly the most unique reading we have had so far. I have to say, I liked it. I think the simplicity is kind of misleading. I am sure that a lot of people will look at this reading, and pass it off as not having enough “meat” to warrant comment. Something else I find interesting is that these are fragments so whatever Heraclitus truly meant in many of these passages will totally left to the interpretation of the reader. All that being said I still feel there is a lot to be had here, mainly because there is so little. One section that communicates this so well is “The way to God is the way through the self.” These passages may provide the spark, but it is up to the reader to stoke the fire.

Looking at the text itself there were a couple of sections I really liked. “Opposition brings together, and from discord comes perfect harmony.” This concept is so simple t is often overlooked. There are a myriad of examples throughout history where we see to enemies become allies to face a common enemy. The French and English, for example, have centuries of hate and malice between them. However, when faced with a common enemy, the Germans, these differences are quickly forgotten.

Here is anther quote that I really liked. “To men, some things are good and some are bad. But to God, all things are good and beautiful and just.” I always gravitated toward the concept of everything being fundamentally good. This is the same concept that is so clearly expressed in the first chapter of Genesis, in the Bible. This notion that God creates everything in the universe, and when he looked on his creation it was good. It also implies that everything that is bad is only that way because humans perceive it as such.

All things considered I really liked this reading. Its simplicity seems to say things that volumes could not. I think this is because I am really reading in my on answers.