A letter to Aristotle
Dear Aristotle,
I first discovered you when I was only 9 years old. I was in the third grade, and I loved going to the school library to check out books. I couldn’t wait to check out books every Friday. I was obsessed with reading and escaping the world through words and stories.
As a kid, I loved reading books about animals, but I also loved mythology and Greek history. Unlike those in my age group at the time, I was enjoying reading things of deeper sustenance rather than the children recommended reading books for my age.
I knew I became a lover of wisdom from the moment I first picked up your book, The Metaphysics. I don’t remember how I stumbled across it, but it captivated me. I’m sure part of the captivation was because of my grandpa who read me stories of Greek Mythology before bed. Naturally, I only wanted to read and hear more of what the Greeks had to say.
I started to hide behind your books and submerge myself into them. It was the best escape from reality, because during this part of my childhood, I was constantly bullied. I had no friends, and no one I could talk to.
You were one of my first “friends” if I’m being honest. When I read your writing, it allowed me to use all of my brain and I lit up on the inside feeling like I finally belonged somewhere. I remember after reading Metaphysics, I just had to read more. Now as an adult, I am re-reading all of it again and grasping it from a different perspective now.
There’s one thing hasn’t changed from then till now: Your words still light a spark in my brain.
After re-reading Metaphysics, I loved the way you captured the essence of philosophy through the desire to know and understand things on a deeper level, which is everything I have lived by my entire life.
You started the book with the most captivating sentence:
“ALL men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight. For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings to light many differences between things.”
— Aristotle
That desire to learn and know more is what sparked my passion for writing, philosophy, and understanding humanity.
When I first delved into reading philosophy, I was alone. I didn’t fit in with the other kids my age. I wanted to understand everything on a deeper level than most people were even able to process.
I wanted deep connections, but everyone else just wanted to run around and goof off.
In all fairness and honesty, if it wasn’t for my grandpa who read me Greek Mythology and tell me stories every night before bed, I probably wouldn’t have been the inquisitive mind I am today. He would tell me stories about you, and Plato and Seneca and other great Greek thinkers of your time. I was fascinated by all of it.
You were the one who helped me find my path in being a seeker of truth and wisdom. From you, I then branched out to Stoicism and discovered how much I loved Marcus Aurelius. You set the path for all the greats after you, and that’s a lot to be said.
You once said:
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”.
Temet Nosce.
Know thyself.
That level of introspection is something that I learned from you. I am grateful to you that I learned from you at an early age because I feel that reading you, Plato, and Socrates has helped me become more emotionally intelligent over time. It also helped me deal with the hell that surrounded me on the outside.
You helped me learn to deal with my anger better. I would be angry all the time because I didn’t understand why kids picked on me so much. I didn’t know how to cope with all the cruel words that were thrown at me from my peers.
You wrote:
“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
― Aristotle
You helped me cope with life’s frustration as a kid that couldn’t really understand the world at large.
You reminded me that even though I was different, it was okay. I was a lover of wisdom. I always wanted to understand things beneath the surface to always get to the truth, but as we know that can be subjective and open to interpretation.
You reminded me that I had the power to rise above my situation to keep moving on, even in the days where I had no will to live.
Now as an adult, I look back to your writings in gratitude for they have shined a light on the darkest parts of my life.
Sincerely,
A lover of wisdom
