Croesus: who gains wisdom in an instant?
(Question No. 7018, 2008 0501 Thursday)
1
Our answer is Croesus, the king of the ancient Lydian Empire (reigned 560-546 BC). The story of how he gained wisdom in an instant is famous in history.
2
This story involves two people. One is Cyrus the Great, the king of the Persian Empire. Cyrus (c. 590 B.C. - 529 B.C.) unified the Persian Empire and is known as one of the rare good emperors in history. Despite his strong desire for knowledge and excellent ruling ability, his Eastern-style cultural governance could not sustain the empire for long. Less than two hundred years after his death, the Persian Empire was destroyed by Alexander the Great, who represented Western culture.
3
Herodotus’ description is vivid. When Cyrus captured King Croesus of Lydia, he heard him groaning and calling out the name Solon on the pyre. He asked, “Who is Solon?” The king on the pyre was compelled to reveal the Greek philosopher Solon’s ethical idea about “happiness.” On the surface, it was just a very simple statement: “No one can call themselves happy.” But Cyrus was deeply moved. This was his first encounter with Greek civilization. Despite his wisdom, his cultural system could not renew or transform. The most important question of his life was just this: “Who is Solon?”
4
The question is: “What is happiness?” This seems like a very simple question that doesn’t need serious discussion. But in reality, this question is extremely important, to the extent that it affects the existence and downfall of an important empire. Today, we would never think that such a simple question could influence history; only major political and economic changes can affect history. But the truth is otherwise.
5
Croesus’ story is something everyone should know. In early Western culture, his story was as well-known as the Three Kingdoms story is to the Chinese. He was the king of Lydia. Generally, Chinese people find Western history confusing. Lydia was the predecessor of the Persian Empire, which had fought countless battles before its unification. This is a nightmare for history teachers, as many people do not connect philosophy with history. If you know what Croesus’ problem was, then Persian history will immediately become clear, like a burning nerve line, bright and evident throughout.
6
This event happened 456 years before Christ in Asia Minor. This is a distant time. What is distant? The range of knowledge is distant. The problem arose at the peak of his career. He conquered many countries and amassed immense wealth. When the Greek philosopher Solon passed by, he warmly welcomed him. He first had people show Solon around his luxurious palace to display his wealth. Then he asked Solon, “Who is the happiest person in the world?” He thought that Solon, being well-informed, would say it was him. But Solon’s answer was someone else, which disappointed him. He then asked, “If not him, then who is the second happiest?” Solon replied that the second happiest was a pair of brothers who died for their mother. The happiest person was not him, and he was almost furious. In fact, his question was not “What is happiness?” but “Who is the happiest?” In reality, he might just want to know who the richest person in the world was. The two are different.
7
No one could have imagined that Solon would give him an explanation that would influence a historical change. It was only until he was eventually captured and tied to the pyre, with flames surrounding him, that he recalled the philosopher Solon’s answer.
8
We also cannot imagine why the wisdom of ancient Greeks often mixed with religion. Their wisdom often came from a kind of “oracle.” One can only hope that today’s people do not mistakenly think themselves wise while ancient Greeks only believed in oracles, which is quite foolish.
9
In the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Greek gods are extremely effective. The gods are almost the guides of history. Once, the Lydian kingdom attacked the Persian kingdom. Before the battle, King Croesus personally conducted an experiment to verify that the gods were reliable before he acted.
10
He cooked a pot of mixed mutton and turtle soup at home. Then he sent several groups of people to various temples to ask the oracles if they knew what he was doing. Only one temple's guidance was accurate. The oracle replied, "The aroma of the lamb and the turtle stirs my heart." This greatly impressed him. From then on, he fought according to the oracle's instructions. But the issue was not whether the oracle was accurate; the issue was that the inspiration from the Greek oracle had deeper philosophical significance.
11
Croesus had immense wealth and territory, and he believed he was the happiest man in the world. Why did he want to attack Persia? Because at that time, Persia had grown powerful enough to pose a threat. He consulted the oracle to ask if he could attack Persia. The oracle replied, "Your actions will lead to the downfall of a great empire." He could not have imagined that the empire referred to by the oracle was actually his own Lydia, which would be his own downfall. But that is not the main point.
12
The main point is the nature of war: it is easy to start, but difficult to stop. War does not end according to human will. He repeatedly attacked Persia without success, contemplating a retreat to seek reinforcements. A moment's hesitation, and Cyrus knew what was happening and immediately counterattacked with full force. He was captured alive, the happiest man, waiting for death on the execution stake.
13
It was a huge pile of wood. Although Cyrus later changed his mind and ordered his soldiers to remove the wood, the speed of human effort could not match that of the flames, and he was about to be engulfed by the fire...
14
This is the most brilliant chapter of Greek philosophy. You can see how a genius acts swiftly upon discovering a problem.
15
Cyrus saw Croesus murmuring to himself on the stake, as if calling out a person's name, and commanded an interpreter to ask him what he was saying. At that moment, the flames were closing in, and he was too preoccupied to answer. But Cyrus insisted on pressing him, and he reluctantly said that he regretted not listening to Solon. Solon was a Greek philosopher who told him that no one who is alive is truly happy.
16
This is a very simple sentence. The mediocre would hear it a thousand times without feeling anything. But Cyrus is different. In an instant, he seems to sense some important inspiration. What does this mean? Why would a dying man say this? What does it signify? He suddenly becomes afraid. Afraid that Croesus will die. Afraid that this question will never be answered.
17
People today would surely think Cyrus is naive. Because we all believe that the answer is easy to find; just look it up on the internet and you can get it. There’s no need for such exaggerated actions.
18
But Cyrus is not a mediocre person. He is deeply afraid that if this man dies, some vague wisdom might disappear forever. Thus, Cyrus gives an urgent command for the soldiers on the scene to immediately remove the pyre. But this is a large pyre, and the flames are fierce. Although his soldiers are numerous, it seems they won’t make it in time; the flames have already caught on.
19
According to the Greek historian Herodotus, at that time, seeing the urgency of the situation, Croesus loudly called out to Apollo for help. Suddenly, a thunderstorm descended from the sky, extinguishing the wood. Croesus did not die, and Cyrus finally secured the opportunity to speak with him.
20
After he climbed down from the execution pyre, according to Herodotus, he merely sat quietly to the side, silent. When Cyrus spoke to him, his reaction was completely different from before; his judgments were exceptionally accurate, leaving Cyrus greatly astonished. Thus, he kept him by his side, listening to his words.
21
What? Cyrus could actually keep an "enemy" by his side? This is unimaginable. But this is history.
22
The threat of death can clear a person's mind. Croesus was the king of Lydia, rich and powerful, enjoying happiness. But suddenly, everything was lost, and he had to leave the world in emptiness. With his mind cleared, he became wise. Human wisdom can truly emerge in an instant. Once a person perceives the illusion of the material world, wisdom will be entirely different. This situation is similarly reversible. A person may gain wisdom in an instant, but can also lose it just as quickly. Sudden fame, status, and wealth can crush a person's wisdom into dust in a second.
23
After Croesus came down, Cyrus asked him why he initiated the war. He replied that it was the gods who started the war. In this war, unlike usual, it is not the son burying the father, but the father burying the son. This is very tragic. His most important conclusion was: "The gods are perhaps pleased with such a situation." This statement, I wonder how many can truly understand.
24
War is inevitable, and tragedy follows closely behind......
and this is the inspiration for a modern world:
Why wars are not avoidable?
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please refer to the following for a Chinese version:
http://leechardasks.blogspot.com/2008/04/blog-post_30.html
誰在瞬時之間獲得智慧？
