Watchdog

Archedemus, the Watchdog

By John Taylor; 28 January, 2006

Today is Peacemakers day, the unique children's class run in Caledonia
by our LSA chair, family counselor and retired schoolteacher, Pat
Kvarsgaard. Her virtues program is based upon the badge system used by
Guides and Scouts; whatever she does, it is popular with the kids and
we have no trouble getting them to go. This leaves little time for an
essay before we leave, so I will let others do the writing today.

Lately I shared the essay I wrote on the Hindu Gayatri mantra with the
Hinduism speaker at our World Religion Day, Swadesh Sachdeva. She
kindly replied, and here are her comments.

Gayatri

(The) word "mantra' means prayer coming from our hearts to God. (Here
is an alternate) translation of Gayatri:

"Om is the Giver of life, the Dispeller of miseries and the Bestower
of happiness. We should meditate upon tha Creator the most acceptable
and the most knowledgeable God. May that that God inspire and lead our
intellect " -Gayatri mantra, Rig Veda, Mdle 3, Hymn 62. In Yajur Veda,
Chp 36, mantra 3.

Hinduism is not a religion but more a way of life. People interpret it
as they wish according to their own understanding. There are Jim
Joneses and Koreshes in every faith. 90% of Vinay Lal and Britannica
makes no sense to me. You may wish to refer to "Vaidya Mantras &
Translations " by Uma A. Saini The U.K. Publishing Co., Rockville,
Maryland, USA

How to be Omnipresent

Recently the technology columnist for the New York Times wrote a list
of ways that you can be an email boor, or what he calls an "internet
pill." A reader pointed him to the following article, How to be a
Disagreeable Companion," written centuries ago by Benjamin Franklin,
which covers the same ground, minus the electronic gadgetry. From our
Baha'i perspective, this could well be entitled, "How not to Consult,"
or "How to be a Gossip." I especially like it when Franklin points out
that the non-spiritual person can attain an almost god-like
omnipresence: a polite person "can please only where he is, you
where-ever you are not."

Rules for Making Oneself a Disagreeable Companion

-originally printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette, November 15, 1750,
The Writings of Benjamin Franklin: Philadelphia, 1726 - 1757 Volume I
BOSTON & LONDON URL:
<http://www.historycarper.com/resources/twobf2/disagree.htm>

RULES, by the observation of which, a man of wit and learning may
nevertheless make himself a disagreeable companion. Your business is
to shine; therefore you must by all means prevent the shining of
others, for their brightness may make yours the less distinguish'd. To
this end,

1. If possible engross the whole discourse; and when other matter
fails, talk much of your-self, your education, your knowledge, your
circumstances, your successes in business, your victories in disputes,
your own wise sayings and observations on particular occasions, &c.
&c. &c.;

2. If when you are out of breath, one of the company should seize the
opportunity of saying something; watch his words, and, if possible,
find somewhat either in his sentiment or expression, immediately to
contradict and raise a dispute upon. Rather than fail, criticise even
his grammar.

3. If another should be saying an indisputably good thing; either give
no attention to it; or interrupt him; or draw away the attention of
others; or, if you can guess what he would be at, be quick and say it
before him; or, if he gets it said, and you perceive the company
pleas'd with it, own it to be a good thing, and withal remark that it
had been said by Bacon, Locke, Bayle, or some other eminent writer;
thus you deprive him of the reputation he might have gain'd by it, and
gain some yourself, as you hereby show your great reading and memory.

4. When modest men have been thus treated by you a few times, they
will choose ever after to be silent in your company; then you may
shine on without fear of a rival; rallying them at the same time for
their dullness, which will be to you a new fund of wit.

Thus you will be sure to please yourself. The polite man aims at
pleasing others, but you shall go beyond him even in that. A man can
be present only in one company, but may at the same time be absent in
twenty. He can please only where he is, you where-ever you are not.

Archedemus; from Zenophon's Memorabilia of Socrates Book II, Part IX

The following discusses the service of protection that a friend can
play for his or her friends. I just love this. Some screenwriter could
make a successful movie out of this material; you could call it "The
Watchdog."

At another time, as I am aware, he had heard a remark made by Crito
that life at Athens was no easy matter for a man who wished to mind
his own affairs. As, for instance, at this moment (Crito proceeded)
there are a set of fellows threatening me with lawsuits, not because
they have any misdemeanour to allege against me, but simply under the
conviction that I will sooner pay a sum of money than be troubled
further.

To which Socrates replied: Tell me, Crito, you keep dogs, do you not,
to ward off wolves from your flocks?

Cr. Certainly; it pays to do so.

Soc. Then why do you not keep a watchman willing and competent to ward
off this pack of people who seek to injure you?

I should not at all mind (he answered), if I were not afraid he might
turn again and rend his keeper.

What! (rejoined Socrates), do you not see that to gratify a man like
yourself is far pleasanter as a matter of self-interest than to
quarrel with you? You may be sure there are plenty of people here who
will take the greatest pride in making you their friend.

Accordingly, they sought out Archedemus, a practical man with a clever
tongue in his head but poor; the fact being, he was not the sort to
make gain by hook or by crook, but a lover of honesty and of too good
a nature himself to make his living as a pettifogger.

Crito would then take the opportunity of times of harvesting and put
aside small presents for Achedemus of corn and oil, or wine, or wool,
or any other of the farm produce forming the staple commodities of
life, or he would invite him to a sacrificial feast, and otherwise pay
him marked attention. Archedemus, feeling that he had in Crito's house
a harbour of refuge, could not make too much of his patron, and ere
long he had hunted up a long list of iniquities which could be lodged
against Crito's pettifogging persecutors themselves, and not only
their numerous crimes but their numerous enemies; and presently he
prosecuted one of them in a public suit, where sentence would be given
against him "what to suffer or what to pay."

The accused, conscious as he was of many rascally deeds, did all he
could to be quit of Archedemus, but Archedemus was not to be got rid
of. He held on until he had made the informer not only loose his hold
of Crito but pay himself a sum of money; and now that Archedemus had
achieved this and other similar victories, it is easy to guess what
followed.

It was just as when some shepherd has got a very good dog, all the
other shepherds wish to lodge their flocks in his neighbourhood that
they too may reap the benefit of him. So a number of Crito's friends
came begging him to allow Archedemus to be their guardian also, and
Archedemus was overjoyed to do something to gratify Crito, and so it
came about that not only Crito abode in peace, but his friends
likewise.

If any of those people with whom Archedemus was not on the best of
terms were disposed to throw it in his teeth that he accepted his
patron's benefits and paid in flatteries, he had a ready retort:
"Answer me this question--which is the more scandalous, to accept
kindnesses from honest folk and to repay them, with the result that I
make such people my friends but quarrel with knaves, or to make
enemies of honourable gentlemen by attempts to do them wrong, with the
off-chance indeed of winning the friendship of some scamps in return
for my co-operation, but the certainty of losing in the tone of my
acquaintances?"

The net result of the whole proceedings was that Archedemus was now
Crito's right hand, and by the rest of Crito's friends he was held in
honour.

--
John Taylor

badijet@gmail.com