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ODYSSEUS,THOMAS MERTON AND SOCRATES
THREE LEGENDS ON A LATE NIGHT
BY SEAN MARTIN
  
     
 

Introduction

“Only three weeks left”, thought Jim as he sat down in front of his computer screen. He had just started to make a plan for the paper he had to write for his English final. The assignment was to write a dialogue between three great men. He had chosen Socrates, Odysseus, and Thomas Merton as the three men about which he would write. He was full of ideas about what their conversation would entail, but he did have one problem. He could not think of an interesting place or environment in which the three men could meet. After staring at a blank document on the screen in front of him well into the night, Jim had given up trying to compose his paper that evening. He decided to watch some TV before going to bed. Perhaps, he thought, “If I clear my mind with some mindless TV show, I’ll come up with some inspiration.” He plunked onto his plush leather couch and started searching for the remote, “why is the remote never where I leave it,” he humphed in frustration. After some more searching, he found the remote and clicked the TV on. Surfing through the channels, he decided on the Conan show. Conan’s talk show was always good for a laugh or two. He pulled a blanket over him and laid back to watch the show. As Conan started announcing his guests for the evening, the only other audible sound in the room was a light snore from Jim as he had fallen fast asleep. Jim tosses and turns as he hears, “…. And our next guests, the legends themselves, Odysseus, Thomas Merton, and Socrates!”

I

As the first part of the dialogue, the three men walk onto the stage. They look somewhat stunned by the mass of lights and the noise that emanated from the hundreds of people in the audience. The audience was excited to be a part of the show. They were allowed to ask questions of the three men. The first lucky audience member was a young woman near the front of the set. Her question, “What are your opinions on the use of steroids in athletics?” “As you may be aware steroids are thought to give an unfair advantage to their user.”

 
     
 

MERTON: Well, this is a good question to start with. I am honored to have the opportunity to discuss this with Socrates and Odysseus. Odysseus, being the great warrior that you are, what is your opinion on this matter?

ODYSSEUS: Gentlemen, I feel that using something that gives you extra strength is obviously a good thing. Taking these steroids make one stronger, and therefore, give one the ability to overpower an opponent. I see no reason to discuss this further. Next question!

SOCRATES: Wait a minute, Odysseus. I would like to comment on that question.

ODYSSEUS: Go right ahead, my friend.

SOCRATES: You believe that the use of a substance that gives you an unfair advantage over the opposition is a good thing?

ODYSSEUS: Yes, I do.

SOCRATES: How does that correlate to the morals with which you live by? And what kind of morals would allow that cheating is a good thing? Have you no worry that your victory would be considered dishonorable? How could you take glory in the fact that your wrongdoing cheated another out of their victory?

ODYSSEUS: Of course, I have morals, Socrates. I live my life guided by these morals, and I consider myself and honorable and virtuous man.

SOCRATES: It seems to me your morals are flawed. If you use a drug to enhance your performance, you gain an unfair advantage over your competitor. This is wrong. Completely wrong!

ODYSSEUS: Ah, but would it be so wrong if every person who competed used the drug? Then, would it be an unfair advantage? I think it would be wrong of a competitor not to take every advantage he has available to him. If my competitor does not have the intelligence or ability to take the drug, then that is his loss. I should not have to lower my abilities and options based on what others’ options and abilities are.

SOCRATES: Odysseus, I think you are losing my point.

ODYSSEUS: What then is your point, Socrates?

SOCRATES: My point is that taking these steroids is wrong, and therefore, not good. I believe that if you would research this subject matter and gain more knowledge of it, you would change your mind, Odysseus. Be aware, however, that you should keep an open mind while studying and not be blinded by your own limits of knowledge. “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us” (BrainyQuote).

ODYSSEUS: Socrates, I will concede to you that I perhaps should study this matter further. Merton, my friend, you have not had much to say on this subject. What are your thoughts on this matter?

MERTON: Well, when I was younger and more insolent, I would have agreed with Odysseus, that taking advantage, whether fair or unfair, was perfectly alright. I would have allowed myself to enjoy an ill-gotten victory rather than suffer an honest defeat. However, after spending time in the Trappist Monastery, my current opinion is different. I agree with Socrates that it is wrong and not good to take unfair advantage. Odysseus is seeking too much power over others which could lead to trouble as, “The most dangerous man in the world is the contemplative who is guided by nobody. He trusts his own visions. He obeys the attractions of an interior voice but will not listen to other men. He identifies the will of God with anything that makes him feel, within his own heart, a big, warm, sweet interior glow. The sweeter and the warmer the feeling is, the more he is convinced of his own infallibility” (WorldofQuotes). I cannot condone any behavior that goes against truth.

ODYSSEUS: I cannot completely agree with either of you. I must use whatever trickery is available to me to gain advantage. It is good to be brave, but that bravery must be backed by cunning and guise. I will, however, take Socrates’ advice to further my knowledge on this subject. II In this second part of the dialogue, an audience member rises quickly hoping to be picked, and is elated to receive the opportunity to ask a question. After much fawning over the greatness of the trio before her she asks, “Do you believe in censorship of the media?” The three men ponder the question before answering. As neither Odysseus nor Socrates seems keen to answer, Merton decides to start the conversation.

MERTON: Ah, I like this question. It is simple, but yet a very good topic about which to converse. After all I do find beauty in simple things.

ODYSSEUS: I agree with you Merton. As I was the first to answer the previous question, I look forward to being enlightened by your thoughts on this matter before I offer my own.

MERTON: Well, Odysseus, I must tell you that I do not believe in censorship of the media. Such censorship could lead to people not having enough information with which to make good decisions. What if such lack of information caused people to get so upset, that war might break out. I could not condone anything that could lead to war. “Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience” (BrainyQuote). I would rather suffer the consequences of a wealth of information than to enjoy the rewards of benefitting by withholding information which I consider to be untruthful and wrong.

ODYSSEUS: At first thought, I would agree with you, Merton. However, as I am thinking about it, it occurs to me that if just some of the media outlets were censored that could give other uncensored outlets an advantage. After all, who would want to listen to only part of a story? I do think that censorship, played wisely, could be viewed as just a good advantage.

MERTON: Oh, Odysseus you are such a trickster. Would your gods not be offended by such lack of a sense of fairness? I know how important it is for you to appease your gods.

ODYSSEUS: I hate to dismiss your opinion, Merton, but I believe the gods would be impressed with my ability to work situations to my advantage. Would you have me censor everyone equally? Where is the advantage in that?

MERTON: I would have you censor no one, Odysseus.

SOCRATES: Gentlemen, I believe what Merton is saying is that all voices should be heard. Not just the strongest, not just the biggest.

ODYSSEUS: Socrates, are you saying that you believe censorship is appropriate? Are you implying that if you squash the voice of the most powerful, that leaves everyone else’s voice equal.

SOCRATES: No, I am saying quite the opposite. What I am saying is that a voice that gains power by censoring the voices of others is bad for all. A fully informed society is better equipped to make decisions that lead to the betterment of society. I believe ignorance is the true evil in society. As I have said before, “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance” (QuotationsPage).

MERTON: Gentlemen as you many know, when I was young, I was quite uniformed in a religious sense. My family was religious, but I, however, chose to censor that aspect of life. Later in life as I became a young man, I decided to visit many churches across Europe to gain enlightenment. It was during these visits, that I was exposed to knowledge that had previously been kept from me. Even though that censorship was self imposed, it was damaging to me. Only through allowing all knowledge to permeate my soul, was I allowed to become the man I am today. I am a living example of why censorship is undesirable. If censorship is bad for one man, therefore, it is bad for society. This is why I consider censorship in the media, or in any aspect of life, undesirable.

SOCRATES: I could not agree with you more, Merton.

ODYSSEUS: I agree with you both to some degree. However, I believe that it would be difficult for me not to manipulate the media to do my bidding should I have the opportunity. If the media could be used to my advantage, perhaps fewer men would be lost in battles? Merton, how could you not agree with that?

MERTON: I do not agree with that, Odysseus. Though, the idea of fewer men laying their lives down in war is extremely desirable. I do not believe that holding back information from one group of people to give another group advantage would lead to the result you claim. This method may lead to you losing fewer men. However, more of your opponents’ lives would be lost. So, ultimately your method would not save lives. It would only save more of your own men.

ODYSSEUS: I can’t find too much flaw in a method that saves my own men. It goes against my nature to not take all advantage available to me. As I told my son, “Telemahkos, you are going into battle against pikemen where hearts of men are tried. I count on you to bring no shame upon your forefathers. In fighting power we have excelled this lot in every generation” (Homer 460). I feel that if men are destined to perish in war, I would rather it be the enemy’s men rather than my own. I would rather my men be victorious, even if by dubious methods, than to suffer and die fighting what some would consider honorably.

 

As Conan takes control of the conversation, in an attempt to end the evening’s show, his voice becomes a strange beep. He looks to the three men as if asking what is going on. The three men simply shrug and look at Conan strangely. Conan continues to attempt to wrap up the show, but his voice becomes an ever-loudening beep. Jim starts to stir, hearing his phone alarm blaring, he reaches over to shut it off. Still tired and not quite awake, he realizes he has slept all night on the couch. As he stands up to walk to the kitchen, he struck with an epiphany… “I’ve got it!”