Ring of Gyges

Excerpts: Wikipedia & Freakonomics (book)

"Gyges of Lydia was a shepherd. One day after an earthquake, a cave was revealed in a mountainside where Gyges was feeding his flock. Entering the cave, Gyges discovered that it was in fact a tomb containing a corpse, which wore a golden ring, which Gyges pocketed. He discovered that the ring gave him the power to become invisible by adjusting it. Gyges used this new power of invisibility to seduce the queen, and with her help he murdered the king, and became king of Lydia himself."

Glaucon after hearing this story argued with Socrates that any man who could gain such a power would be incapable of being virtuous enough to resist any form of temptation. He said that morality is only a social construction, the source of which is the desire to maintain one's reputation for virtue and honesty. And hence, if that sanction were removed, one's moral character would evaporate. And adds that If anyone so happens to obtain this power, and that if with such power he/she never does anything wrong or touches what is another's, he/she would be thought by the on-lookers to be a most wretched idiot.

Socrates, however, explains that the man who abused the power of the Ring has become morally bankrupt and suffered irreparable failings of character, while a man that chose willingly not to use it is at least at peace with himself.

Pensive musings...

It's been a long time since I last blogged. I knew or rather thought before-hand when I started that I would not blog for long. As it was popular back then, I had to try my hands on blogging. Even though I was an amateur or rather a tyro as my blog says, I wrote a wonderful article - YOU ARE A GROWN UP ROBOT (read it if you haven't read it yet!). That article to me is something like what Mona Lisa was to Leonardo da Vinci.

Blogging still is the ‘thing’ now and besides all famous actors, politicians, sportsmen, reporters and many more blog. So, generally people who become famous blog. And as I always had and have an inclination towards doing things in unconventional way, I thought, Why not - blog and become famous! : )

So I am going to blog again. But na... It is not for being famous, that I will blog. Fame is not what I crave for! Being famous is not what I want. What I really want is to write something as good as YOU ARE A GROWN UP ROBOT, perhaps even better. And of course I know I can write better, relying upon my ever wondering and ever-questioning mind. At times I even feel amazed, by all those wonderful and creative thoughts that cross my mind. And yes! I want to feel this same amazement after I engrave them on my blog.

But then what’s the point in writing, if you don't have an audience to read what you write. I could rather very well keep my thoughts crammed in my head instead of writing something which nobody will read. Why to display it to the world, when you know the world is not there to read it. Therefore to bring audience, I am going to expand my network. This is a very hard thing for me to do. It will be difficult, (you seriously don’t know) but hell! As the old, beaten and dusted saying goes - Nothing in life is for free! And to this purpose, I would be taking some painful steps.

Or would I? Or would I be happier if somebody randomly stumbles upon my blog and genuinely finds interest in reading them? oh... how I hate endorsing something that I like!

P.S.1
Truly, humans are the only species who have to pay to live on earth.

P.S.2
Yeah! I make a lot fuss about petty little things. To me, I guess these petty little things are the ones that matter the most.