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VIRTUE as EROS

* The article has been published in the newspaper “The National Herald” of the Greek Expatriates.

VIRTUE as EROS

A small village spread out on the edge of a small hill and the fields around it, they were the world of little Electra. At school her mind was “opened” and she committed to herself that she would always study to learn! The melodies of the church whispered to her that she would always make sure that her heart would be filled with this unspeakable serenity and love! The scents of the lemon blossoms when she was in her grandfather’s orchard, the coolness of the crystal water as she bent down to the well and drank it, the freedom she felt as she ran through the green ears of wheat, confirmed her commit-ment to herself that she would keep these beautiful sensations forever in her mind and heart! Like a fairy in joy, without being affected by anything, little Electra was on her way to fulfill her dreams. To learn, to increase the love in her heart and to keep this fullness forever.

Electra grew up. No matter how hard she tried to keep her commitments, she could not. Many concerns came, goals that were not fulfilled, people who were not fair. The mind was confused, love shrunk in her heart. But she met a young man and her heart began to beat hard. It’s Eros, she said. That’s what they called it when it was happening. And the mind said. Yes, that’s what I was looking for. And the heart overflowed with joy. It was all so beautiful. Electra began her life together with her partner with such optimism. The two of them had their love, she thought, and she didn’t need anything else. They had what they were looking for in life. One would complement and support the other forever. They got married, they had two beautiful children. The concerns were present again, the challenges of life demanding. Slowly and silently, they were losing eros from their hearts and the belief that they had found in each other what they were looking for was weakening. Electra thought, yes, eros is lost but love will remain. Years were passing by. But eros was fading away even more and the love that she was trying to detect, to recognize its characteristics in their relationship, was missing. Electra wondered. She was determined, she would find the cause.

Many days and nights went by that they found her sleepless. Teachers came her way and they taught her. The search, the study, the research, the observation, the experience led her to ancient Greek Philosophy. Platos Dialogues became the inner dialogues of Electras soul with herself. Step by step, she listened to the inner voice and with valor she put virtue into practice.

In ancient Greek Philosophical thinking, love is the love of the beautiful: “Philokalia”. The beautiful is the harmony, the knowledge, the Beauty (Kallos)! Kallos is beauty, symmetry, harmony, wisdom, bravery, love for freedom. All these is Kallisti Pandemos Aphrodite, the human soul. Human by nature seeks the beauty (kallos). The soul in need and desire for kallos, seeks. Diotima in Plato’s dialogue “Symposium” talks to us about Eros. Eros is the son of Poros and poverty. On the day Pandemos Aphrodite was born, Penia lay down with Poros and Eros was born. Eros became a follower of Aphrodite and he is in love with Kallos, since Aphrodite is Kallisti (~the most beautiful). Eros is born from the need-Poverty of the soul for love, beauty, joy, for the beauty (kallos) that contains everything. Human seeks, begs to others, everywhere around him, and last hope the romantic partner. But he soon finds that he “lost” eros or everything he thought he had found. The soul in Poverty-need seeks. Out of her. Until fatigue from the endless and futile search pushes her to converse with herself. Then she turns inward to herself. There the Providence of Creation has placed Poros, who is drunk with the Nectar of the Creator’s mind. It is logic, the soul will converse with it and will get an answer to the question and a solution to the search. It will open the way to the beauty (kallos) of its existence. Poverty and Poros give birth to the ingenious Eros, as Diotima calls him. It is the Eros of the beauty of the soul as it beautifies itself. It becomes our Pandemos Aphrodite soul. The Pandemos Aphrodite soul has a mixed nature. As it is beautified it acquires beauty (kallos) and it is in the perspective of the Kallisti.

Eros is twofold. It has the element of Poverty, the need of the soul and the element of Poros – the ability to correct the mind in relation to Wisdom. The correction of the mind as Prudence and the Bravery of the soul to practice Virtue, they cultivate and beautify the soul. Eros is risky. He desires Wisdom. It is between the need of the soul and the knowledge of the mind of the Creator, of Wisdom. Eros is the function of Virtue. Through the Virtues the soul is beautified. Eros is the Greek Philosophy. Every day Eros is born and dies. It is the soul’s choice to seek him, to work to meet him.

We usually think that we are good and that we lack nothing. That we know it all. We dont need to know anything more. If we lack something, it is a material good. Then we are not in inner poverty, so we do not seek the poro (~way), we do not need to learn anything more about ourselves and about who we are. Because Poros is the answer of the Nous of the Father-Creator to our call, to our need. And this answer comes from within and it concerns the knowledge of ourselves, the beauty we can become. We notice how ineffective our thoughts, our feelings, our behaviors can be. How many obstacles may arise in the prospect of a beautiful life full of love and affection. At the same time that we fervently seek love and affection in our lives. But we continue to look for solutions out there. In others, in situations, in phenomena.

Every person who recognizes that his soul is in ellipsis and he seeks Poros -way- solution within his own self, he will experience eros. And then he will share it. Because eros is not demanding. It is our state of being, and once we have conquered it, we share it. That is taking responsibility and working continuously. As long as we work for it, the more… we fall in love with it!

Electra, in deep peace and completeness, closed the two books she held in her hands. They were the dialogues of Plato, Symposium andAlcibiades. She happily realized that the entire ancient Greek philosophy refers to the prospect of human to live in joy and fulfillment through eros and that philosopher is every person who chooses it.

 

WITH VIRTUE
MARIA TERZAKI

The total or partial reproduction of this text by electronic, photocopying or any other way is prohibit-ed, without the written permission of the author Maria Terzaki.