According to Socrates, "Our prayers should be for blessings in general,...?

Question

for God knows best what is good for us."?
Please, comment. Do You agree with the statement?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Yeah, I think that's nobler than to pray for yourself. But I like what Douglas Adams had to say about it -- always end your prayer with "God, protect me from the consequences of this prayer."

Answer 2

First of all, i doubt that Socrates said that---i cannot find any place that said that he did, sorry.

Secondly, at best Socrates was a polytheists because that was the way of Greek society during his life time. A much better case could be made that Plato say that our prayer was to find "true happines" before we move into the realm of "forms".

Scotishbob

Answer 3

Sorry, Socrates, I can't agree with that statement. It completely puts your life in someone else's hands when the truth is you make your own blessings. In my experience, "god" always gives you what you ask for. And I'm thinking Socrates should've known that everything's good for you. He couldn't've been much of a philosopher if he didn't know that.

Answer 4

As your awareness grows, your mindset & the way you think & look at things changes. Your thoughts can shape your world, to an extent :) If you pray for change & you are acting on what you wish for & seeing the world that way, you are shedding your light on the world & therefore creating a chain of love & light & action & this spreads itself. This is how i see prayers being 'answered', but then again i don't have a belief in a deity that can answer thoughts or prayers so i may have a different interpretation that one who does. Peace & Much Love, stay awesome. (((((Kasey))))) Edit- I keep reading this as, "As your awesomness grows" ahahahaa, i don't know why! Nope i'm lying, i know why, it's cause you're awesome :DDD

Answer 5

Yes. If you believe in a conscious supreme being able to hear your prayers, your prayers should not be discriminatory beyond the general good. Even to place your own welfare ahead of another's is greedy and most likely conflicting with that of your supreme being.

Answer 6

Could you give a direction to the source for this quotation, a title reference of a book or dialog. I would think he would suggest that one pray for the Good for all because it would be a failure of wisdom to pray anything else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates#Mysticism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates#Knowledge

Ultimately, virtue relates to the form of the Good; to truly be good and not just act with "right opinion"; one must come to know the unchanging Good in itself. In the Republic, he describes the "divided line", a continuum of ignorance to knowledge with the Good on top of it all; only at the top of this line do we find true good and the knowledge of such.

Answer 7

I think man's greatest desire is to be God. We all want to be God and want those around us to worship us. If we're honest. The greatest thing this prayer does is humble us and remind us that we are not God. The fact that there could be something outside of us that we could be dependent on if an abosulte affront to our desire to be God ourself.

Answer 8

yes. He is correct. You should take advantage, put your best effort, and then what happens happens. No regret. You never know what might have happened if what you supposed would give you more joy, actually happened.

As the mighty old saying said a long time ago, said 'what happens is for the best'

Answer 9

No, I'm an atheist so in my humble opinion, prayer is just a waste of time and good candle wax.

Answer 10

no.
our prayers are to be
"thanks" only