Plato (not Play-doh)

 “The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.”  

I chose to begin with this quote from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1978) because this and other posts may refer to some philosophers and historical thinkers who have profoundly influenced the way I think, so I agree with this statement.

            As we studied classical philosophy in my Interdisciplinary Humanities class, I found Plato’s Theory of Forms particularly intriguing.  He conceived that forms, or the idea of objects, exist in a perfect, eternal realm of our thoughts, while the tangible world is simply filled with physical examples of these forms.  The reality of our world is an illusion—a world of shadows permitting occasional glimpses of eternity. We already possess the knowledge of these eternal forms but have forgotten, so as we study objects in the sensory world, we uncover the true nature of their forms; in other words, knowledge is a recollection of the truth.  The Greek word to describe this process is anamnesia, “an-“ meaning “un-“ and “amnesia” meaning “forgetting.” Unforgetting. 

Ok.  So what did any of that even mean?

The clarifying moment for me came when I learned that in the original Greek translation of the New Testament, the Greek word Jesus uses at the Last Supper when he commands His apostles to partake of the sacrament “in remembrance” of Him is anamnesia.  Essentially, He commands them to “un-forget” Him.  I interpreted this new definition two ways. 

In one sense, while we tend to remember Christ at church on Sunday, as the week progresses we become distracted by daily interests—school, work, health, relationships, the internet, sports, whatever else fills our time—until keeping Him at the center of our lives becomes less of a priority or maybe even forgotten.  As we return to church the next Sunday and partake of the sacrament, we are invited to “un-forget” Him once again. 

The other implication of the word relates more to Plato’s original theory. It makes perfect sense to me that we were taught everything about God and His plan before we came to Earth, so that as we study the world around us and encounter spiritual experiences, we uncover, or remember, truths that we already knew.  Have you ever learned something that just made sense, like that had always been the case and just never occurred to you until someone else brought it to your attention, and when they did you thought, “Oh, I knew that”?  Maybe this doesn’t make any sense or you’ve never had such an experience, but for me, the word anamnesia describes a familiar feeling, something I have felt many times in church or in classes at school or while reading or even during movies. 

This leads me to agree with the other part of Plato’s theory—that our world is only a weak reflection of the eternal world, allowing occasional glimpses of that world.  I personally believe that beautiful art and scenes in nature offer some of these glimpses, as well as personal study.  Michelangelo himself said, “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”  I also think these glimpses can be seen in people.  The world is filled with terrible things, perhaps more than ever before, but I don’t think God would allow one extreme without the other; with greater capacity for evil, there is also a greater potential to do good.  We are all born with the light of Christ, and through the same process of anamnesia, we see flashes of this light in acts of compassion or charity or great accomplishments.  

I believe that we can put ourselves in a position to increase the likeliness of these glimpses of eternal glory to create our own heaven on earth.   How can we put ourselves in this position?

Seek learning.  In school, outside of school, and every day, hunger for knowledge.  Go beyond the bare minimum required by your classes or your current position.  Study God’s creations, people, personalities, governments, religion, how things work.  Seeking to enlighten your mind and spirit allows you to better understand the nature of God and his plan.  Even just the act of searching demonstrates your true desire to know more, so that He will reveal more to you. 

“For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more” (2 Nephi 28:30).

This goes hand in hand with obedience.  Do what the Lord asks of you, repent when you don’t, and He will bless you with wisdom. However, with greater knowledge comes greater responsibility and more is expected of us. This may sound scary, but greater responsibility also comes with the potential for far greater blessings like, I don’t know, say, eternal life? Exaltation? Eternal happiness? 

Worth it?

Uhm, hecks yeah!

Remember that no matter how strong the temptation, our spirits can always overpower and control our bodies. Does your body control your spirit or does your spirit control your body?

Seek beauty.  Surround yourself with beauty.  Take the time to recognize and appreciate the beauty of the world around you.  Elder Douglas L. Callister said, "The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things." Michelangelo looked at it the opposite way, that experiencing worldly beauty and love sparks a yearning for eternal beauty, as expressed in this sonnet he wrote:

Segment of a sonnet ca. (1546-7)

            A violent burning for prodigious beauty

is not always a source of harsh and deadly sin,

if then the heart is left so melted by it

that a divine dart can penetrate it quickly.

            Far from hindering empty passion from flying higher,

love stirs and wakes us, and feathers our wings;

and from that first step, with which it’s not satisfied,

the soul can mount up and rise to its creator.

Sometimes I’m in a rush to get home or grumpy from the day and suddenly I’m caught off guard by a gorgeous sunset, fuchsia and orange rays peeking out from behind illuminated, fluffy clouds onto painted mountains.  In those moments, I feel undeniably that these scenes are reflections of what heaven will be like.  The vividness of the colors and inexplicable effect of the light on the clouds is impossible to duplicate.  No photograph or painting can capture exactly that image and feeling, but they try, and I believe as Michelangelo did that God does have a hand in true art.

The Ancient Greeks entertained this idea as well.  They believed that each artist was a vessel for a divine helper called a Damon, who inspired and assisted them.  The Romans called it a Genius.  I recently listened to a TED Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, wherein she discussed the ancient East African tradition of sacred night dancing.  Every so often, one dancer would be transformed into something more than themselves, delivering an extraordinary performance.  The others who watched would chant, “Allah! Allah! Allah!” or “God! God! God!” Later when the Moors invaded Spain, they continued this custom, but the phrase changed to “Olay! Olay! Olay!” which they still shout today at bull fights or flamenco dances when a performer appears to supersede human ability.  Gilbert continued to share stories of modern artists who have acknowledged a divine presence who inspires their creativity.  I feel that this contributes to why a song can make us cry or why a sculpture or painting or poem can evoke certain emotions.  Heavenly Father assists these artists in creating images and sounds that conjure familiar feelings, or perhaps memories, of Heaven.  

Countless studies have shown that music in particular can directly affect our emotions and possibly even behaviors. 

“The universal language of music has the ability to lift people to their feet and also to greater heights in their lives.  Spirituality can be enhanced, physical abilities can be magnified, and emotions can be tempered through music. The Lord has always recognized its power” (Randy and Susan Booth, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”).

He recognizes and uses that power for good!  By surrounding ourselves with beauty, we can create an environment where we are more likely to feel the Spirit and just feel good.  Our own homes, wherever they are, can become beautiful refuges from the world.   Everyone made fun of me when I brought home a five dollar thrift store painting of a beautiful coast with docks and sailboats and terraced houses, but I liked it, and it still makes me happy as it hangs my bedroom.  I also love my unique (and cheap—beauty doesn’t have to be expensive) thrift store vases filled with fake flowers. These physical touches of beauty as well as the absence of contention and when my apartment is clean make my home a sanctuary for me.

 I’m not saying ignore the ugly issues in the world or only surround yourself with physically beautiful people, but I don’t see anything wrong with uplifting ourselves through the beautiful creations of man and God.  Walk through an art museum! Attend a concert! See a play! Read a book! Go on a hike! Take the time occasionally to break away from your mundane schedule and be edified.  This—these moments, grant us a taste of heaven on earth.

Create Beauty. If you are endowed with creative talents, use ‘em!  I’ll admit I’m a bit of a hypocrite on the subject, but I’m working on this as well.  Sharing talents can be scary! We fear that people will judge us, that we’re not very good or just showing off.  I used to be terrified of singing or playing piano in front of people, even letting anyone read my writing.  I’m not sure what exact moment marked the turning point—perhaps I had a divine helper—but my surge of confidence was greatly influenced by the discovery of this quote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

—Mariannne Williamson

Dang.  Need I say more? This quote hit me harder than any other ever has (which is saying a great deal since I have an entire journal filled with quotes).  And she’s right; what is there to lose by sharing our talents??

Pride? Maybe. 

And is that such a bad thing? I can’t think of anything more humbling than giving of our best—our talents—to serve those around us.  Aside from the emotional catharsis that comes with creativity, the creator reaps so many other blessings.  I experienced many of these blessings when I co-wrote our Girls’ Camp Song about a year and a half ago.  The experience was truly humbling as we considered the needs of the girls in our Stake and what message they needed most to hear, relying on the Lord so that each word of the lyrics served its purpose and conveyed that message.  I testify that we felt the hand of God in every word, every note.  I cannot accurately express the feelings of overwhelming love and gratitude I felt hearing two-hundred teenage girls sing my song, many weeping, and as I received several thank-you notes describing the profound effect the song had had on individual lives. 

I have even heard that if we expect to become like Gods, shouldn’t we cultivate creativity and practice now with inanimate mediums?  Whatever your medium—paints, words, sounds, wood, foods, film, dancing, architecture, graphic design, etch-a-sketches, whatever—take advantage of the uniquely human ability to be creative.

I would also argue that any act of kindness or service adds beauty to the world.  Another favorite quote of mine is “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity” (Horace Mann).

“…victory for humanity” is a pretty hefty challenge, but I would consider “humanity” to be anyone within our realm of influence.  When I die, I want to know that my life positively impacted at least one person. If we can make someone’s day better simply because of our presence, we have contributed to the beauty of the world, to restoring hope in humanity. 

So smile! Get over your own fears and reach out to someone who needs a friend.  Call a friend who’s going through a rough patch.  Write a sweet note.  Give a genuine compliment.  The paradox of this whole service thing is that when you stop thinking of yourself, you benefit the most.

Conclusion  I have no idea how Plato’s Theory of Forms ended up with a discussion on service.  I suppose the idea of bettering oneself and the world is always the common theme of my philosophies on life.  So let’s retrace the connection:

Plato’s Theory of Forms basically said that knowledge is a process of un-forgetting eternal truths that we already knew, which is very similar to the Christian belief that we learned about God’s plan as spirits before we came to earth and so again, knowledge is a recollection of eternal truths that we already knew.  I believe that as we seek to gain more knowledge about the eternal nature of God and the heavens, we can model our lives after this.  We can gain this knowledge as we seek learning, seek beauty, and create beauty.

If you followed all of my thoughts, you are a brave and studious soul and I applaud you.  If not, by this point I’m a little lost myself.  My only hope is that this made you think, or perhaps rethink.  I also recommend this talk from Elder Callister in 1959 that I discovered after I wrote this which expresses nearly identical ideas. http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1964

Peace and blessings!