Modern Socrates

Saul Williams is my modern Socrates. He is more than just a poet, I like to describe him as a painter. He has the ability to paint pictures with his words. He is the very essence of what it means to be an artist and philosopher. He dissects even the most simple of human behaviors in an effort to make us question why it is that we do what we do. The first time I sat down to listen to one of his poems, I found my beliefs shaken. The poem had beeen about victims of rape and completely transformed my view of them. He used his words to restore their innocence and virtue. Another of his pieces, "Five Senses", reminds me alot of Descartes because he tells you to questiion everything that is presented to you as fact as well as the things that you determine to be factual through the use of your senses. Saul suggests that there is no such thing as fact because of the differences brought on by perspective.
As a poet it is his job to ask questions, but what sets Saul apart from other poets is that he begins his line of questioning from the point of existence, then progresses to more complex ideas. This is why he has the ability to reach so many people, despite the fact that some of his messages are considered radical. Another reason that I look to Saul as a modern Socrates, is his belief in the importance of mans relationship with the universe as a whole. Saul recognizes that in order for us to come together, we must first connect to the Universe (or God), because it is where we all began.

The Unexamined Life

The statement that "the unexamined life is not worth living," is true in my opinion because everything in life happens for a reason. Those who dont go back and reflect on why it is that certain things happen to them or around them are allowing these things to go on in vain. In order to grow as human beings, we must learn, and the only way to learn is through listening to and observing those around you, as well as through personal experience. However, we gain the most from these situations when we take the time to analyze their relavence to our own lives. To go through life without ever gauging the importance of life itself is to have lead a life unappreciated. This is because when you take the time to understand life, you come to realize that it is not as trivial as we make it out to be. Just the facts of our conception are quite amazing if you think about it. Just ten months before, we were nothing but microscopic seeds. Never having been thought of or imagined. Then out of practically no where, comes this brand new human being...the fact that we have the ability to breed life, is amazing. However, those who fail to "examine" even the simplest facts of our existence could never be baffled by this power that we possess. This goes to say not that those who dont spend time reflecting on the purpose or meaning of life dont deserve to live. In fact, it goes to say that those who dont, should. They just might find themselves floored by the fact that the grass grows all on its own, or that their fingers have the ability to move seemlessly with little to no command.

Eulogy

  Born to children, her mother only sixteen and her father a mere fifteen at the time, Ashanti was adored by all those around her from the day she arrived home from the hospital. Rambunctious as a child,  Ashanti discovered that she had talent as a singer through her afternoons spent singing along to the radio with her mother. Music became an important part of her life during those earliest years, during which she used it as a means of communicating and bonding with both of her parents.
   As she grew, Ashanti began to abandon her strictly academic-driven goals and embraced her more artistic side. From the time she was in grade school she wrote poetry as a way to release some of her boundless energy. She would also entertain her friends and family by constantly keeping them laughing with her never-ending jokes.  Ashanti was the life of the party at many family functions.
   Upon reaching high school, however, Ashanti began to veer away from her family as she took the first steps toward self discovery. She began to act out in ways that her parents had never anticipated, as she was a well behaved child.  Again, she was forced to rely on the gift of poetry to express the feelings that drove her to misbehave, and found her voice once more on the stage. She had discovered that poetry was her way of communicating with the world.
    Ashanti had an eye for style, an ear for music, and a voice for poetry. She dedicated her life to making people feel as beautiful on the outside as they were on the inside through her sewing, and to the uplifting of the oppressed through spoken word. She was the first person her friends would call when they needed advice or cheering up, for she always fought for the elevation of those closet to her heart. Championing for freedom and love, with a smile that resonated with the desire for both, Ashanti left her mark on everything she touched.