September 20, 2023
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Booklet Excerpt:
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[23] “So let us now return to your prayer, Theophilus. Tell me, apart from causation of prayer as we have discussed,” asked Socrates, “what then is the subject of prayer, such as you understand it?”
“Well, Socrates, the subject of prayer is not only one thing as you suggest, but could be many things, and the subjects are too various to identify,” said Theophilus.
[24] “But,” replied Socrates, “might we still categorize those subjects of prayer into some general order? Do not many specific subjects of prayer share some attribute for categorization and ordering purposes?”
“Well, Socrates, in my own experience in serving the Gods, the most common type of prayer would be categorized by the volume of requests made of the Gods by petitions and through offerings and sacrifices.”
[25a] “Thank you, Theophilus. In short, am I correct to say that this is the category of prayer that consists of requests for the Gods to intercede into this world using their metaphysical divine power to make something to occur in the future. That is, a request by the prayer to have the Gods change some condition in this world that is occurring or would occur. Is that correct?”
“Yes, of course, Socrates. In my experience, this type of prayer is what occurs in most cases.”
[25b] “And the specific requests in this category of prayer are endless, are they not, with each person making requests to serve each person’s own life purposes? In fact, and I say it gently, that this was the purpose of your prayer today and offering to the Gods for your daughter’s health to return. That is, for your daughter to get well soon by an appeal to the Gods for them to intercede into this world with their divine metaphysical powers and to change your daughter’s condition?”
“Yes, Socrates, all that is true, and, as to me specifically, I implied as much when I greeted you. Sometimes the requests are for the benefit of the person praying, and, sometimes—such as it was for me this morning—sometimes for the benefit of another person.”
[25c] “Of course. Yet, either way, Theophilus, the general category consists of the requests of the Gods for their metaphysical intercession into this world made through prayer. And such as it is for the praying person, implied or presupposed by your action this morning, you believed at the time of your prayer and offering that the Gods have the metaphysical power to effect the change by the cause of your prayer.”
“Socrates?”
“What I mean to say, perhaps more simply, is that you intended your prayer to cause the Gods to effect a cure upon your daughter by their divine power.”
“That is true, Socrates. Everyone knows this is why everyone prays. We beg the Gods through prayer to intercede and to satisfy our needs and desires of which there are many!”
[26a] “And, as you have served the Gods for so many years, Theophilus, do you have some understanding from your experience as to the ratio of granted prayers by the Gods versus ungranted prayers? Such as how often the Gods did not or refused to intercede regarding the specific future requested by the person praying, such that the existing condition persisted or worsened?”
“Why, Socrates, how could anyone ever know any such thing?” replied Theophilus.
[26b] “But Theophilus,” said Socrates, “I’m thinking that you might surmise it, as a general rule, from your own two eyes of experience in serving the Gods over many years. Do not most persons pray for things like a long life, an easy day, not to get exhausted or overheated, the love, respect, and admiration of others, to be an excellent athlete or at least to have excellent health, to have the love of women and the fear of men, to be powerful rather than weak, to conquer other lands and to make slaves of the peoples conquered, successfully to defend a homeland so as not to be enslaved, and all such things? And all of these things often with the least effort or pain? Is this not what you see and everyone knows generally to be true? Or, perhaps even more generally simply, with our sentient bodies existing and needing to subsist in this physical world, do not most people pray to satisfy worldly pleasures and to avoid worldly pains in both mind and bodily conditions?”
“Well, Socrates, I think I can agree to as much. I mean, even dogs will make a pillow. Certainly, it is clearly natural for everyone to do so. And I do not think I would be incorrect to say that everyone naturally desires to enjoy pleasure and to avoid pain—I suppose this is true by some application of definition.”
[27a] “Not everyone, mind you, but as a general rule,” responded Socrates.
“Oh, yes, Socrates, I see your point. I understand your qualification that there are those ascetics who endure great hardships against their common nature for a variety of reasons.”
[27b] “And it will also occur in strengthening and training conditions, won’t it? But such cases may or may not be viewed as exceptions to our general rule, because the hardship itself might be accepted or desired for a purpose, and any acceptance or desire to do what is unnatural, by inviting pain and avoiding pleasure is, in such cases, understood to be a goodness in the mind of the person for some intended purpose that contradicts natural inclination.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
[27c] “Well, the athlete, the mathematician, and the acetic invite and endure hardship on purpose, for the good of the body, the mind and the soul, respectively. Is this not understood to be true?”
“Yes, I see what you are saying, Socrates. And, by the way, it also occurs in giving sacrifices to the Gods in offerings, such as I sacrificed this morning for the return of health to my daughter. We endure the gift of the sacrifice to have the Gods intercede in our affairs.”
[28a] “In such cases, it seems to be more of a trade than a gift, I think. But, in light of such requests, won’t you also agree that most prayers are unanswered, perhaps by some application of definition as causation to pray? That is, some deficiency or need being the cause to pray?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question, Socrates?”
[28b] “Well, if life were absolutely perfect for a person, would there be any causation to pray for that person, as you see it?”
“Well, Socrates, I can agree that if a person’s life were perfect, the person would necessarily not have causation to ask the Gods to intercede for anything, by some application of definition,” replied Theophilus.
[29a] “Although, isn’t it true,” said Socrates, “that perhaps even an otherwise perfect life, by most accounts, would be framed in a request to the Gods for at least one more day of it, and also one more day of it for all for all the other lives of persons loved by the person with the otherwise perfect life.
“That is, even a perfect life, for the limited term such that it would otherwise be, would desire to cheat the Gods of death, and to avoid hardship, and illness, and such painful things, not only for the person with the otherwise perfect life, but also for all persons and things that impact that person or cared about by the person with the otherwise perfect life.
“For what person could have a perfect life while unhappy by having an unhappy child, and what child of that person could be happy without their own child being happy, being the grandchild, and what grandchild could be happy if not having sufficient food by the increase in price from an unhappy farmer who did not have sufficient fair weather, etc., such that one person’s otherwise perfect life necessarily implicates, step-by-step, much or all of an entirely perfect world?”
“Do you see such a thing, Theophilus? And, in some regards, the better the life, the less likely that the person would want to part with it, and then such person with the otherwise perfect life would tend to beg the Gods not to have it end, being then unhappy by application of a limited term of years. Is this not the case that you can surmise with your own two eyes by your experience?”
“So, you’re saying, Socrates, that no life can therefore be perfect, unless the entire existence of that person is perfect, and perhaps necessarily extrapolated to the entire world being perfect, and everyone and everything related to that person and life would need to last forever?”
[29b] “I am only asking you the question, as a general rule, Theophilus. But might we find some exception in the existence of a person who did not care about the regular worries of any day, or requiring even one day more, but took each moment as the complete end of life, and, therefore, is always prepared for death, without hesitation or fear. That is, can’t we eliminate, for our discussion, that a person who accepted the term of life only so far as granted to the person by the Gods, and only so far as granted to all others, as neither something to fear or to avoid. Would this not eliminate at least that causation for prayer by such a person?”
“In theory, Socrates, I suppose so,” said Theophilus, “but I am not aware of ever having met such a person. No one wants to die.”
[29c] “But Theophilus,” replied Socrates, “I did not say that such a person desired death, but only that such a person would not fear it, so far as is known to us in this world, such that it would be accepted as the will of the Gods that life—such as it is understood by us—come to an end exactly at the moment the Gods have allowed or determined it to end, without any abrasive challenge or begging of the Gods to the contrary. And, as we said earlier, if this person considers that incurring pain and avoiding pleasure are part of training of the mind or body or spirit, then prayer as you suggest it would be unnecessary to that extent, as well.”
“Well, Socrates,” said Theophilus, “if this theoretical person, did not fear death, and desired pain and not pleasure such as for training purposes, everyone knows that the natural world grants all these hardships readily so that the cause of prayer for divine intervention could be perhaps entirely mitigated.”
[29c] “Although, such as before,” said Socrates, “it might not necessarily be that such a person desires pain, but perhaps only that such person accepts those things without resistance, such as power in self to do so exists.”
“Well, Socrates, I will say that I have seen the most physically, intellectually and spiritually stout men cry out like little babies and pray to the Gods when having a toothache, and you have heard it said that anyone with a toothache or trapped helpless in battle prays to the Gods!”
“But, as to these conditions you reference, Theophilus, would you say that they represent the general rule or the exception?”
“Well, Socrates, I suppose that they are the exceptions.”
[30] “They are the exceptions because they are not generally representative of your prayer being freely made. For what a sentient man will resort to under physical torture is not necessarily representative of what he is inclined to do when he is free to choose without compulsion or under the general conditions. Indeed, this perfect man we reference would never cry out, ever, even with a toothache or trapped in battle, because his mind would be reconciled to the condition, but then, in this world, who is perfect? Is not the question implied with what is and what should be? Cannot we be guided by a star without needing to touch it? So let us stay on course.
“Can any life—as we understand our life—be perfect, such that it eliminates the necessity of prayer, with regard to existence in the world—such as we understand our existence in this world?
“Well, Socrates, thank you!” said Theophilus. “It seems to me that you have now proved my case and stated the very best reason for everyone to pray to the Gods! If I understand the implication of what you are saying, it is impossible to have a perfect life. Life gives hardships, and toothaches, and even at the most limited basis, even the best life is ended by the death that comes for everyone! So, even if the Gods satisfied all our needs and desires, and removed all of our pains, and did it for everyone in the world, life still cannot be perfect because even the person with the otherwise perfect and happy life would become miserable by the desire for more of that happy life.”
[31a] “As a general rule, Theophilus. But the question was whether you could attest from your experiential knowledge of life and the Gods, and those who pray, whether the Gods grant most or all of the requests made by prayer. Theophilus, tell me, in your experience, can you tell me whether people pray at the same time?”
“Certainly, Socrates. You and I both see a volume of such a thing every day.”
[31b] “Well,” said Socrates, “let us take your statement as true. With so many persons praying at the same time, do we agree that the needs and desires of one person praying to the Gods sometimes conflicts with the prayers of another person praying to the Gods at the same time? Is this not your understanding or experience? That is, the buyer prays to get the lowest price for needed goods or services, and, at the same time, the seller prays to get the highest price?”
“Yes, everyone certainly knows that by common experience with people acting at the market.”
[31d] “Therefore, the Gods would need to ignore the prayers of both persons causing unhappiness, or to grant the needs only of one person causing unhappiness, or to reconcile the conflicting requests to some average not completely satisfying either party causing unhappiness.”
“I see what you are saying. But, why do you say so?”
[31e] “Does not all that we know from experience with our eyes prove to us that most prayers are unanswered, with the Gods themselves perhaps being the cause of it; that is, life a little too short, the toothache a little too long, the weather not best for cooking or growing, or the seller receiving the highest price? Will you admit that the world is more needy than unneedy?”
“Socrates, I cannot say, but even so, the triumphant glory of our warriors and generals who parade with accomplishments, and bring our slaves and other benefits to us, attribute all such successes to our Gods in satisfaction of our prayers!”
[31f] “But, my dear Theophilus, the question is not whether a few certain prayers are answered by the Gods, but whether many more prayers are refused or ignored by the Gods.
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First Publication September 11, 2022. Copyright © 2022 by Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.